The Complicated Matter of Neutral Territory
by Black Raider
Summary: It's time for Season 2 of TMNT with my OC, Kuro! With the fight resuming, Kuro has some big decisions to make. With pressure coming from multiple sides, she must learn to stand by her choices no matter where they lead her.
1. Mutation Situation

**A/N: Finally! Finally I am able to get the first chapter up! I know you've all been waiting a long time for this. Unfortunately, I have to rely on YouTube to find TMNT episodes and I'm entire season behind. If you guys have any suggestions on how to find episodes, let me know!**

**Until then, here's the much-too-overdue first chapter!**

* * *

**Episode 1: The Mutation Situation**

"_Hee-yah!"_

"_AAH!"_

_THUD!_

Kuro melted into a strong stance, glaring in determination at her newly fallen opponent. The boy, who actually stood several inches taller than her and weighed almost twice as much, only groaned in pain. The students around her clapped and cheered as Kuro smirked triumphantly, standing up straight and helping her opponent to his feet. He limped away, joining the other students recently beaten by the young Japanese teen. The teacher approached her, smiling proudly.

"Well done, Oroku-san." The teacher said. "You earned your place at the top of this class."

"Thank you, Sensei." Kuro bowed. "But I cannot take all the credit. I had previous training from two other masters."

"They should be proud for training you." the teacher said. "But you are the one with the natural talent and raw skillset for the martial arts." He looked around. "Would anybody else like a chance to take on Oroku-san and prove my point?" The students all took a step back, looking a little fearful. Kuro giggled a little. She previously defeated each and every single student in the dojo; the teacher allowed her to stay in the classes to keep up her training and act as a secondary instructor.

Kuro sighed as she finished a few gulps of water, leaning against the wall in the locker room. "Hey Kuro-chan!" She turned to see a couple of the other girls from class coming up to her and smiled warmly.

"Hey Miyako. Hey Hikari." Kuro greeted. "Nice job today."

"Thanks, but that's nothing compared to your awesomeness." Miyako said.

"Yeah, who taught you before you came here?" Hikari asked.

"My uncles. One related to me by blood, the other so close to my father that he might as well have been related to me." Kuro answered, tossing her black gi into her bag and pulling on her sweatshirt. "They were really awesome."

"Wow. You are so lucky." Hikari sighed. "Your life just sounds amazing."

Kuro sighed, feeling nostalgic. "Yeah…..I'd have to agree with you on that. I gotta get home. I'll see ya guys!" She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked off, making her way back home. The late afternoon sun shined on her face, her coal black hair pulled back in a braid and her bangs pinned back with a few barrettes. She had allowed her hair to grow out a bit, even her bangs, and her eyes sparkled with a new light. Her boots tapped rhythmically on the sidewalk, her dark jeans tucked into the boots and her jacket a bright red. She skipped a bit as she entered the train station, boarding the correct train that would take her home. She put her headphones over her ears and turned on her iPod, letting the noise of the world around her become drowned out. Half an hour later, she exited the train and walked from the station, through the downtown area, and up to a rural space where a traditional Japanese-style house rested. Kuro stepped through the doors, hanging her headphones around her neck and taking off her shoes.

"Mom! Tadaima!" Kuro called.

"Okaerinasai!" Kuro's mother, called from the kitchen. "Come into the kitchen when you have a moment! I need help finishing dinner."

"Okay!" Kuro nodded, jogging upstairs to toss her backpack in her room.

Several weeks passed since the Kraang's world domination attempt via their Technodrome. Since leaving New York, the Turtles, Splinter, and April, Kuro lived happily with her parents in a nice home out in a rural area, a short train ride from Tokyo. Good thing, too, considering how much she and her mother loved going into the city nowadays. Her father, Oroku Nagi, worked in downtown Tokyo. He was overjoyed when his daughter walked into his office, almost crushing the life out of her in a hug. Kuro couldn't have been happier to find her true father, and she burst into happy tears when she discovered she had a mother. Both of her parents looked delighted to have a new pet; Haiiro enjoyed the new home, though she still loved going outside to hunt and sometimes brought her leisure kill into the house.

Said grey cat rested on Kuro's desk, taking a catnap in the sun but waking as her master came in. Haiiro stretched and yawned, blinking her light blue eyes and greeting Kuro with a small "meow."

"Hey Haiiro." Kuro greeted, tossing her sweatshirt and bag on a beanbag chair nearby. "Ready for dinner?" Excited, the cat jumped down from the desk and followed Kuro downstairs and into the kitchen.

"How was class?" Miho asked.

"Really great." Kuro said, stirring the curry in the pot on the stove. "I beat down every student that challenged me and taught some of the beginners."

"Per the usual." Miho shrugged.

Kuro giggled. "Yeah, pretty much. When's Dad coming home?"

"Any minute now." Miho moved to the pantry and pulled out some cat food. "Here, Haiiro, come and get it." The grey cat happily bounded over to her food dish and started eating the moment Miho poured the food into the bowl. Seconds later, the front door opened and Nagi called out "Tadaima!"

"Hey Dad!" Kuro called. Nagi came into the kitchen, smiling broadly as he kissed his wife and daughter, scratching Haiiro lovingly behind her ears. Nagi set the table while Kuro helped her mother put the food on everyone's plate and poured the tea. The little family sat down to eat, the warm atmosphere of the room making Kuro smile the entire time.

"You seem awfully happy this evening." Nagi noted.

"I'm just still pretty pleased about how my life is going right now." Kuro shrugged. "It's so….normal."

"Compared to living with mutants in the sewers, I'm sure." Miho giggled.

Kuro laughed with her mother. Once she had been reunited with her parents, Kuro decided to tell them everything that happened, including Splinter, the Turtles, Shredder and the Foot Clan, and the Kraang. "But seriously, _that _was normal for me for a long time. Even before meeting the Turtles, my life was devoted to Ninjutsu training. It's weird because I have a completely normal life now. In the mornings I have breakfast with my parents and then Dad goes off to work. Mom and I chat for a bit and then she goes to teach at the local high school. I have most of the day to myself, and usually I'm at home, training, or I'm out and about in town or Tokyo. Then when Mom gets home from work we do some homeschooling and when Dad gets home we eat dinner together. We're a whole family and we do things most normal families do. Except for the whole ninja/samurai training of course. Taking out the martial arts training, everything is typical to a normal family."

"It's certainly nice to have you back, my baby." Miho said, gently stroking her daughter's hair. Kuro leaned into the loving touch, a blissful smile on her face. "We thought we'd never see you again. After…." She exchanged looks with Nagi. "It doesn't matter now. You're back, and everything's back to normal."

Kuro nodded aimlessly, stuffing a few more spoonfuls of curry and rice into her mouth. But once she swallowed, she still looked troubled. "Dad?" her parents glanced over to their daughter. "Um…..what exactly happened? Why was I kidnapped in the first place?"

Nagi and Miho exchanged looks again. Nagi sighed, setting his spoon down. "It's….a little complicated. And a long story."

"I've got time." Kuro offered with a weak smile.

"Tell her, Nagi." Miho encouraged, sipping her tea. "You are not at fault and neither is your brother. It's just something that happens when people lose their tempers."

Kuro looked to her father expectantly, and Nagi let out another sigh. "All right. Well, do you know the story of the rivalry between the Hamato Lotus and Oroku Foot Clans?"

"I know their rivalry stretched back centuries." Kuro shrugged.

Nagi nodded. "Well, did you know that clan's leader before Saki was our father?"

Kuro blinked in surprise. "Well that explains why he chose to create or rather revive the Foot Clan."

"Years ago, Hamato's father led an attack that officially destroyed the Foot Clan once and for all." Nagi explained. "Saki and I were very young. In fact, Saki was just a baby. We were innocent children, so Hamato's father gave us shelter and admitted us into the Lotus Clan. We grew up as brothers: Saki, Yoshi, and I. We trained as equals."

"And then Tang Shen happened, right?" Kuro guessed.

"Actually, first your mother happened." Nagi corrected. "One day, I was in town with Saki and Yoshi. That's when I saw her: the most beautiful girl in all of Japan." Miho rolled her eyes and giggled, and Nagi smiled warmly. "I instantly fell in love, and it was clear she shared similar feelings. Yoshi and Saki supported it fully. At least I think they did; they kept ribbing me for it every day for a week after the meeting. But Miho didn't live in town or anywhere near the Lotus Clan headquarters. In fact, she lived pretty much on the other side of Japan; she only visited relatives nearby for a while. I wasn't willing to leave her because I just loved her too much. It was crazy, following a girl home in hopes that she would actually return my feelings. But I wanted to do it. I wanted to do this one crazy thing. Yoshi was fully supportive, telling me to follow my heart wherever it led me. My brother, however, wasn't exactly all for the idea. Your mother was from a clan of samurai warriors. Throughout history, the samurai and ninja warriors were always seen as rivals. For a warrior of a ninja clan to fall in love with and possibly marry a samurai warrior was pretty taboo. So I told Saki that I would leave the Lotus Clan forever to be with her. He believed I was trying to abandon him. We fought, both believing the other was just being unsupportive. I left no matter what, moving out into the same town as your mother. Saki was mad, of course, but when I wrote to him he always replied so I assumed our relationship wasn't completely destroyed. _Then _Tang Shen came into the picture."

"Did you know her?" Kuro asked.

"Not really." Nagi shrugged. "Saki wanted my help in getting Tang Shen's affections, but I didn't want any part of it. I wrote to Tang Shen, telling her to choose whomever she wanted based on what her heart told her, similar to what Yoshi told me when I went after your mother. Saki was angry, believing I wasn't being supportive of him when he supported my leaving. I came back to the Lotus Clan to talk to him, but of course it only led to another argument. Finally, he told me he never wanted to see me again, and I reciprocated the feelings. We didn't see each other for a long time, but I managed to visit Yoshi and Tang Shen. We became good friends."

"Is that why Saki kidnapped me?" Kuro asked. "To spite you?"

"That's one of the reasons." Miho nodded. "If Saki just wanted a companion for Miwa, he could've taken anybody or just adopted a child. But you and Miwa already had a relationship, given how much time you spent together."

Kuro took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Man my life is twisted."

"Still, if you _hadn't_ been taken you would've never known your mutant friends or discovered that Hamato lived through the attack on his home." Nagi pointed out.

"It certainly made for an interesting life." Kuro admitted. "Although I could've lived without the whole 'home-in-the-sewers' part. It's only ideal to mutant ninjas."

"Mutants, ninjas, aliens." Miho sighed and then laughed lightly. "Sounds like something out of a movie I saw as a child."

"Was it any good?" Kuro asked.

"Sort of." Miho shrugged. "Rival ninja clans, big war, little romance tossed in. Terrible ending, though. Turns out the evil ninja clan was made up of little aliens in robot bodies."

"Wow." Kuro blinked. "Talk about uncanny."

"Indeed." Miho nodded. "I suppose life here is pretty boring compared to the life of a real ninja."

"I kind of welcome it." Kuro said. "After so much craziness, I know who I am. No way will I let that go. Besides, I'm still training with you and Dad. It's been an interesting process, combining Ninjutsu with samurai teachings."

Miho tousled her daughter's hair. "We are so happy to have you back." Kuro smiled warmly, soaking in her parents' love.

That night, as Kuro laid on her futon and read a book, Miho and Haiiro came in to bid her goodnight. Haiiro jumped up to her bed resting on top of a cat tree, curling up and settling to sleep. Miho knelt down beside her daughter to tuck her in, giggling when Kuro rolled her eyes.

"I'm not a child, Mom." Kuro half-whined, though she smiled warmly.

"Technically, teenagers are still children." Miho laughed. "And I never got to tuck you in when you were a toddler so I'm making up for lost time."

Kuro laughed, snuggled under her comforter. She noticed a look on her mother's face. "Something wrong?"

Miho sighed. "Do you remember how you told me about those dreams and visions you'd have about the past and future?"

"More past than future, but yeah." Kuro nodded.

Miho bit her bottom lip, but continued. "That's my fault."

Kuro sat up. "What do you mean?"

"You may not believe me. It's a little crazy." Miho admitted.

"Mom, you're talking to someone whose _boyfriend _is a _mutant turtle._" Kuro reminded her.

Miho laughed lightly. "Well, my family comes from a long line of powerful soothsayers. They were pretty legitimate, even today given your gifts. I have a similar gift, only not as advanced as yours."

Kuro looked to her comforter, but smiled. "Good to know."

"You're not upset?" Miho asked.

"This gift is unique to our family." Kuro shrugged. "It led me back to you after Saki took me. I'm not mad at all."

Miho smiled and hugged her daughter. "Sleep well, darling."

"Goodnight, Mom." Kuro said, laying down to sleep.

* * *

"Ninja Dodge Ball! Whoo!"

Mikey skillfully leaped away as the Kraang communicator orb bounced under his legs, ricocheting off the pinball machine and into his hand. "Missed me again, Leo!" Whooping and cheering, the young turtle threw it towards Leo.

But the blue-banded turtle was prepared. "Eat this!" He performed a perfect spinning back kick, sending the orb into Raph's hands.

"Stick it in your shell!" Raph laughed, the orb bouncing off the tire swing and the pinball machine. Mikey ducked, whining a little at the sight of the pinball machine's glass cracked. The orb continued its path, right into the dojo where Master Splinter meditated. But the mutant rat simply raised his staff and sent the orb flying back to his sons. April, entering the lair with pizza boxes in hand, flinched as the orb bounced off the turnstiles.

Life for the sewer dwellers became quite smooth after the defeat of the Kraang and Shredder. April's dad seemed to be the only one still recovering, suffering from nightmares about the aliens. But life went on, and the Turtles found themselves going on less patrols due to the lack of danger around. The Purple Dragons would strike now and then, but there was little more besides that. So the teenagers took the time to act like regular teenagers, something they didn't normally get to do. Splinter spent most of their down time in the dojo, the shock of the whole Miwa/Karai/Kuro thing still fresh in his mind. Kuro remained on everyone's minds, her absence leaving an impact on the Lotus Clan members. Not having the young Japanese teen made it seem as though there was a hole in the lair's atmosphere. Mikey felt it especially, Kuro's leaving putting a damper on his normally cheerful mood. After a couple weeks, he was able to put on his normal goofy smile and tried to act like nothing happened. But he couldn't forget how he felt when Kuro was around, and how much he missed her.

Everyone missed Kuro, but it could be argued that Mikey missed her the most.

Donnie typed away on his computer, humming in thought for a moment and then smiling. "And now let's test our bottle friend's organs." He and Metalhead looked to the mutated Timothy, still stuck in a large jar and reduced to human organs and green goo. Donnie smiled in satisfaction at the healthy results, but he soon yelped and was forced to duck as the Kraang orb shot past his head. The orb ricocheted off Metalhead and out to the lair. Glowering, Donnie marched out to his brothers.

"Ha! You're out, Leo!" Raph boasted.

"It doesn't count on a bounce!" Leo snapped.

"What are you guys doing?!" Donnie demanded.

"Playing dodge ball, fool." Mikey shrugged, only for the Kraang orb to hit him just enough below the belt for it to majorly hurt. He fell to his knees, groaning.

"With the Kraang communication orb?!" Donnie snapped, skillfully catching the ceramic-like device as it came towards him. "This is a rare and _fragile _piece of alien tech! You guys can't just—"

"Ah, don't get your shell undies in a tangle, Donnie." Raph waved him off. "The Kraang are toast."

"Yeah." Mikey agreed, leaning on his much taller brother. "Lighten up, dude. This is a party!"

"My sons." The boys instantly went quiet as their father and sensei entered the room, his tone not promising. "I know you are still joyously reveling in the defeat of our enemies, but a great question remains."

"What if cupcakes could talk?" Mikey offered.

"Are our enemies truly defeated?" Splinter corrected. "The Shredder is a crafty and patient foe who bides his time."

"But Sensei, you said Shredder lost whatever sense of honor he had left." Leo reminded the rat. "We'd never see him again."

"Yeah, and if she shows up, we got it all taken care of." Raph assured, spinning his sais in his hands. The boys stepped past Splinter, intending on moving to a different part of the lair to not disturb anyone with their game.

_I should've expected this. _Splinter frowned. _"Tomaru!" _Instantly, the boys froze and turned to their Sensei. "You four have become lazy, overconfident. You shirk your training. This party ends, now!" His sons straightened and bowed, indicating they understood. Splinter walked off to resume his meditation, satisfied.

"Well that was kinda harsh." Mikey spoke first.

"Or maybe Master Splinter's right." Leo shrugged. "Maybe we _are _getting too cocky."

Raph laughed. "It's not cockiness when you've got the skills to kick…..massive….." The four of them paused as the orb in Donnie's hands suddenly made beeping noises, purple-pink lights flashing across it.

"That thing's working again?" April asked as she approached the boys.

"It's been quiet for weeks." Donnie breathed. "It must've received an incoming signal. Which can mean only one thing."

"Cupcakes _can _talk!" Mikey guessed, sincerely hoping he was right this time.

"The Kraang are back." Leo corrected, a glare in his eyes.

Mikey sighed. "Guess the party really is over."

* * *

"I thought we talked about this, Kuro." Hikari scolded gently.

"And I thought I mentioned, several times, that I punch/kick whatever startles me." Kuro shrugged.

"You made that guy's nose bleed." Miyako pointed out.

"He jumped out from behind a corner wearing a freaky clown mask." Kuro countered. The three of them laughed, walking down the sidewalk towards the Harajuku district of Tokyo. They found their way into a large toy store, traveling up to each floor. Kuro paused when they reached a wall of stuffed toy animals, eyeing a bright green turtle. Her heart suddenly felt heavy, remembering her mutant family. Ironically enough, a brown mouse sat next to the turtle toy, only furthering the pain. Kuro sighed, taking the turtle and mouse toy into her hands and staring at them. Not a day went by that she didn't think about the Turtles, Splinter, and everyone else in New York. But even though she thought about them often, she hadn't called, texted, or emailed them since she left for Tokyo. She certainly couldn't send them a postcard. But why didn't she contact them? She could've at least sent an email. But she didn't….because she didn't want to. Sighing again, she put the toys back on the shelf.

"Hey Kuro!" Hikari called as she approached her friend. "Cute toys, huh?"

"Yeah." Kuro nodded aimlessly.

"Think you might get one?" Hikari asked.

"Not today." Kuro shrugged. "I'm starting to get hungry. Shall we go eat?" Hikari nodded and the girls walked off, Miyako joining them along the way. Kuro stayed silent all the way to the restaurant, only breaking the quiet to order.

Hikari finally couldn't take it. "All right, Kuro. What's up?"

Kuro sighed softly. "Just thinking about things…and people…"

"Family or friend?" Miyako asked.

"Friend….almost like a brother." Kuro answered. "It quickly became something much more."

"You mean you're boyfriend?" Hikari asked with a smile. "This Mikey?"

"That's the one." Kuro nodded, allowing a small smile to come on her lips. "I just saw some things in the toy store that reminded me of him."

"Whatever happened to him?" Miyako asked. "I mean, it sounds like you two were very happy together. Why end it? He _did _make you happy, right?"

"Yes, of course." Kuro assured quickly. "It's just….things happened. Unforeseen circumstances required me to leave. Besides, he lives in New York and I don't know if long-distance relationships work well."

"Depends on how much you care about this guy." Miyako shrugged.

"I'm sure if you both love each other a lot, things could work out." Hikari assured.

Kuro laughed lightly. "Thanks, guys. But I haven't talked to him since we parted ways. I haven't called or texted or emailed or even sent him a postcard."

"All the more reason to do it now." Hikari urged. "I'm sure he'd love to hear from you."

"I don't think so." Kuro shook her head.

"Why not?" Hikari demanded.

Kuro paused. "Because I left without saying 'goodbye.'" Her friends went silent. "I didn't tell him I was leaving; I just left. After what I did to him, I highly doubt he wants to see me again."

"You never know until you try and get in touch with him." Miyako said with a comforting smile. Kuro looked down, thankful when the waiter interrupted them with delivering their food. As she ate, Kuro's thoughts traveled back to Mikey. What was he doing right now? Was he thinking about her? How attached had they truly been in their time together? She still saved that text he sent her, written down and the piece of paper tucked away in one of her books. Sometimes, the teen would wonder if he ever thought about her. Not that she had the courage to text him and find out. She almost wanted to forget about her life from New York. Not that it was fully possible; spending so much time there meant it was a significant part of her past. Miyako and Hikari had asked about Mikey several times before, both of them ecstatic over hearing their somewhat violent, tomboy friend actually fell in love once. But they wouldn't be fully satisfied until seeing a picture, so Kuro had to work a little Photoshop magic to come up with a photo they would buy.

"Have you ever thought about calling him?" Hikari asked as they walked to the train station to go home.

"Yeah." Kuro shrugged. "I just don't know how he'll react. For all I know, he hates me."

"I doubt anyone could hate you." Miyako assured. "You're a pretty likeable person."

Kuro smiled warmly. "Thanks guys."

* * *

Everyone gathered in Donnie's lab as the purple-banded Turtle began analyzing the incoming message from the Kraang orb. Mikey still remained his goofy self, but even he realized the severity of the situation. It meant the fight starts over again.

"The encryption is tough to crack, but it seems like the Kraang are transporting some kind of cargo." Donnie moved to his computer, typed a few things, and a picture of a Kraang ship appeared on the screen. He gasped softly. "Using the stealth ship!"

"We gotta find out what that cargo is." Leo urged.

"So, how do we track a ship that turns completely invisible?" Raph asked.

"We cover it in honey so it attracts bees. Then we follow the bees!" Mikey suggested, looking proud of himself. Metalhead looked to Mikey, seeming to raise an eyebrow. Raph pinched the space between his eyes while Donnie, Leo, and April just stared at Mikey strangely.

Donnie held up a scanner with two egg beaters on top. "We track it with this. It's a line to the radar dishes we placed throughout the city. It'll create a triangulating pulse—"

"English, Professor Brainy-Off." Raph interrupted.

Donnie frowned, speaking very slowly and mockingly. "It will detect the Kraang spaceship." He looked to their redheaded friend. "April, can you stakeout a rooftop and feed us the ship's coordinates?"

"Me?" April asked, taking the scanner. "I don't know anything about radar."

"What about your dad?" Leo suggested.

April suddenly became nervous. "My dad? He barely lets me out of the house anymore. He's never going to go for this."

"Please, April." Donnie pleaded. "Your dad's a scientist, we _really_ need his help."

April thought for a moment. No doubt if her father saw a hint of the Kraang, his nightmares would get worse. But if she could convince him to help, maybe they could re-stop the Kraang and it would put Kirby's fears to rest. April sighed. "I'll….I'll see what I can do." She walked off, wondering how on earth she would explain this to her father.

"Hey I know!" Mikey pulled out his T-phone. "Let's call Kuro and ask for her help!"

"No!" Leo snatched the phone from his younger brother. "We can't do that."

"Why not?" Raph shrugged as April turned and came back to the brothers. "We could use her ninja power. Then maybe the Kraang will learn to stay in whatever hole they came from."

"Because she probably doesn't even know that the Kraang are back, especially if we just found out." Leo said. "She's safer in Tokyo, with her family. It would be selfish of us to bring her here into a dangerous situation."

"But she's a part of this team, this family." April reminded them.

"And we do what's best for our family, no matter what." Leo said. "Right now, what's best for her is to stay away from here."

"I hate to say it, but Leo has a point." Donnie agreed. "We don't get the same luxury of being able to ignore the situation. Especially not you, April."

"Good point." April nodded. "It's too hard to forget considering I still live in New York."

"But should we at least tell Kuro what's going on?" Mikey shrugged.

Leo, Donnie, April, and Raph exchanged looks. Even Metalhead seemed nervous. "Um, Mikey…how can I put this delicately?" Leo thought for a moment. "It's just that….Kuro hasn't contacted us since she left."

"Maybe her phone is broken or she doesn't have international coverage." Mikey suggested.

"Then how do you explain no emails?" Raph demanded, only for April to hit him upside the head.

"She'll get in touch with us when she's ready." Mikey assured. "She just needs some time to herself."

"It's been weeks, Mikey." Donnie said. "We need to explore the possibility that Kuro may never come back at all."

Mikey scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "Come on! She loves us! How could she never come back?"

"Even though she may love us, not coming back may be her way of doing what's best for us." April offered somewhat weakly.

"She'll come back. When she's ready." Mikey said. "Just you wait! She's gonna get in touch with us soon; I know it."

"Then how about this: we won't tell her about the Kraang until she calls us first, okay?" Leo offered.

"Deal!" Mikey nodded, taking back his T-phone and tucking it away. April turned and left, biting her lower lip a little from guilt. She knew, just like Mikey's brothers, that if Kuro left without saying "goodbye" it meant she probably didn't want to come back at all. They knew this was a thought that would break Mikey's heart, but it was almost unavoidable. The just had to find a way to let him down gently, if that was possible. Mikey was full of stubbornness, so he would hold onto the hope of Kuro's return until he knew for sure she wouldn't come back.

"The bigger question is how do we stop that ship?" Raph said, directing the attention back to the situation at hand. "We'll need something fast to catch it."

Donnie got a smile on his face, and instantly his brothers felt the usual combination of curiosity and dread.

* * *

Kuro pushed her food back and forth across her plate, letting out a sigh now and then. Nagi looked up from his newspaper and raised an eyebrow. "All right. What's going on?"

"Nothing really." Kuro shrugged. "Just thinking about stuff."

"Like what?" Nagi asked. "Come on, you can tell me anything. And with Mom at school for a meeting, who else are you going to talk to besides the cat?"

Haiiro looked up from her dinner and meowed indignantly.

"No offense, Haiiro-chan." Nagi chuckled. He looked back to his daughter. "Well?"

Kuro stared at her father for a moment before sighing. "I just…...I miss them."

Nagi nodded in understanding. "If you would like, we could always go visit them."

"That's just it, I don't know if I want to see them again." Kuro admitted. "I know that sounds terrible of me, but I love how my life is now. I want time away from them."

"You've been away for several weeks." Nagi noted.

"Yeah….." Kuro sighed, setting her chopsticks down.

"Kuro, by the sound of it, this is something that you must sort out yourself." Nagi said. "You have to decide how to handle your feelings. I could tell you how to do it, but ultimately it's your choice."

Kuro allowed her father's words to soak into her brain. "Thanks Dad. I think I'm going to do my homework. Mom says she's going to quiz me on my calculus on Friday." She bid her father goodnight before going upstairs to her room, Haiiro right behind her. Kuro sat down at her desk, pulling out her textbook and finishing the worksheet her mother assigned her earlier that week. But though she tried to focus on the numbers and letters, she still couldn't get her talk with her friends out of her head. Finally, she paused in her studies and took up her cell phone, scrolling through her contacts until she found Mikey's number. She pressed "Send Message" and a blank text message appeared on her screen. Her thumbs hovered over the keypad, wondering what she could put down. She ended up typing, erasing, and retyping several messages and sentences before growling in frustration and deleting the message.

"This is ridiculous." Kuro sighed. She clicked back to her contacts list and found Mikey's number again. She never had anyone else's number from New York, save for April's and Karai's. She stared at the number, murmuring it under her breath. What could she possibly say to him? What could she _want _to say to him? She enjoyed her life so much, living in Japan with her parents and Haiiro. She loved her new friends and wandering around the city without the fear of being attacked. No more mutants. No more aliens. No more smelly sewers. No more rivalries. No more constant fights. It was perfect; a life she always wanted and had enjoyed over the past few months. Though she partially hated herself for it, she didn't want to go back to her life in New York. She wanted to stay in Japan, where she was happy and had a normal life.

She wanted to let go.

Kuro scrolled down the screen to a red button at the bottom of Mikey's contact information. It read "Delete Contact." The Japanese teen's thumb hovered over the button, wondering if she really wanted to do this. She couldn't remember Mikey's number; if she deleted it, she probably wouldn't ever know it again unless she went back. But she wouldn't go back. Not ever. She would never return to that city, so she'd never see Mikey again.

So what was the point in keeping his number?

Kuro pressed the button, and another message came up to ask if she really wanted to delete the contact.

_Yes. _Kuro thought as she pressed the button, permanently deleting Mikey from her contact list. The dark-haired teen set her phone down, feeling both relieved yet sad. She hugged herself, rubbing her arms. Haiiro jumped up onto the desk, staring at Kuro with concern in her bright blue eyes.

"Merow." Haiiro said softly.

Kuro took the smoky gray feline into her arms and stroked her fur. "It had to be done, Haiiro."

* * *

**A/N: Japanese translations:  
**

Tadaima - "I'm home!"

Okaerinasai - "Welcome back!"

Tomaru - "Stop!"


	2. Invasion of the Squirrelanoids

**Episode 2: Invasion of the Squirrelanoids**

Kuro bolted upright in her bed with a gasp, panting a little. She shook her head and shivered a bit, rubbing her temples. "Ooh, no more sushi before bed, no more sushi before bed, no more sushi before bed." Sighing, she stretched and rose from the futon mattress, rubbing her still-sleepy eyes. Haiiro, resting at the foot of the mattress, meowed as though to ask if she were okay. Kuro smiled and scratched the feline behind her ears. "Don't worry, Haiiro. Come on. Let's get breakfast." The smoky gray feline followed her master downstairs to the dining room, where Nagi and Miho waited.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Miho greeted, cooking scrambled eggs on the stove.

"Morning Mom. Morning Dad." Kuro yawned as she sat down.

"Sleep well?" Nagi asked.

"Yeah, up until I had the freakiest dream." Kuro said. "The most I remember is seeing these alien squirrels trying to eat me."

"Strange." Miho nodded in thought, pouring some cat food into Haiiro's bowl and setting a plate of eggs on the table. "But it's just a dream."

"Yeah." Kuro nodded. "Hikari and Miyako invited me to hang out with them today. We're going to see a kabuki show this evening."

"That sounds fun." Nagi nodded in thought. "Your mother and I have been talking about going to lunch this afternoon. It's been a while since we had a date night. We're going to that nice Italian place near my work."

"Cool!" Kuro nodded, almost inhaling her breakfast.

Once she finished breakfast, Kuro jogged upstairs to change out of her pajamas. Haiiro, ever faithful, trotted beside her. Kuro shed her pajama shirt and rummaged in her drawer for a clean one, only to jump at the sight of something resting near her window. Haiiro's fur bristled and she whipped around to the "threat." But she and Kuro relaxed when they only saw a squirrel on the tree outside the window.

"Man, that dream was weird." Kuro sighed, making sure her window stayed shut.

"Meow." Haiiro said.

"Alien squirrels." Kuro chuckled, pulling on a shirt. "That's too bizarre even for _my _life. How ridiculous would that be?"

* * *

Irony often struck in the strangest of ways, at the strangest of times. If Kuro had known, her dream was more like a vision. As the Turtles tracked mutagen canisters all over New York, they discovered a half-empty, cracked canister along with what looked like a homeless man cowering at a harmless squirrel. That is, until said squirrel squealed at the Turtles with a long, whip-like tongue and then proceeded to forced itself down the man's esophagus. Now, Donnie examined the unconscious man in his lab while Leo explained the situation to Master Splinter. Raph watched Donnie's examination with passive boredom while Mikey kept glancing back and forth from the examination to his comic book.

Mikey moved to stand next to Raph. "So, want to guess the first thing the crew did when they brought the guy back on the spaceship in my comic?" He showed Raph the page, and even the red-banded turtle had to admit that the experiments happening in the comic book looked frighteningly similar to what Donnie did to the homeless man.

Frowning, Raph crushed the comic in his fist and threw it to the ground. "Enough with the comic already! You're making me loopy." He marched off, leaving Mikey to stare in horror at his comic.

"Great!" Mikey groaned. "Now went from near-mint to totally messed up!" He scooped up the comic and smoothed it out as best he could. "You know, Kuro wouldn't do stuff like that!"

Raph and Donnie rolled their eyes. "Here we go again." Raph sighed.

"I'm just saying!" Mikey huffed. "She was a girl who knew to respect people's things. Especially when those things happen to be mint condition comic books!"

Leo finally entered the lab, looking exhausted yet relieved. "Okay, we're cool. But let's try to get this guy out of here before Master Splinter is done meditating. Where are we at, Donnie?"

"Running an internal scan right now to see if….." he typed a few things on his computer, Leo and Mikey joining him. A picture appeared on the screen, showing the man's stomach and ribs with two shadows inside his stomach. "Yep. Still in there." Then, the three of them realized there were _two _squirrel shapes rather than one.

"Whoa." Leo breathed.

"Wait, does it have _two _heads?" Mikey asked.

Raph approached, munching on a bag of popcorn, but even when he saw the picture he kept his uninterested expression. "All right, guys. If you need me, I'll be beating Leo's high score in pinball."

Quite suddenly, the homeless man sat up straight. "Piggy! Red-eye! The ham went flying! Hoo-hoo!"

The Turtles stared at him. "I think that freaky squirrel made him a little nutty!" Leo said.

"Dudes, I got this." Mikey assured. "I can totally translate 'crazy.'" He approached the man and listened to his gibberish. "He's saying, 'the squirrel licked some ooze and transformed into a mutant. It's been chasing me for days now but I'm totally okay.'"

"If by 'okay' you mean totally insane!" Raph snapped.

"Well at least no one will believe a crazy guy if he talks about giant ninja turtles living in a sewer." Leo shrugged. They all suddenly jumped with a gurgling sound came from the man's stomach, and he began twitching and jerking on the table he laid on. Then, he suddenly spit something from his mouth and the two objects flew to the floor, much to the shock and terror of the Turtles. They screamed in horror as the objects revealed themselves to be the squirrels once hosted in the man's stomach.

"This…this is unprecedented!" Donnie breathed, mostly in fascination. "The squirrels replicate inside a host! They divided like a single-celled organism."

"That's exactly what happened in my comic!" Mikey gasped. "Well, not exactly. They exploded out of the dude's butt."

The homeless man suddenly shouted in terror. "Leprechauns!" he shouted as he ran from the room.

"I'll show our friend to the door." Raph announced, hurrying after the man and tossing his popcorn on the table. The mutant squirrels bounded up to the food, munching on the pieces contently. The remaining Turtles stared at the rodents uneasily.

"We need to catch them." Donnie said in a hushed voice. "They're emitting dangerous amounts of energy!"

"It's times like this when I wish Haiiro still lived here." Mikey gulped. "She'd take them out in two seconds!"

Leo, Donnie, and Mikey carefully crept towards the squirrels. "Move very slowly." Leo whispered. "We don't want to startle them. Steady…steady…"

The squirrels suddenly squealed at the mutant turtles, their whip-like tongues thrashing around.

Leo yelped. "Get 'em!"

The three Turtles lunged, but the squirrels darted away.

"If Kuro or Haiiro were here, they wouldn't have scared them like that!" Mikey noted as they chased the rodents.

"Not now, Mikey!" Leo snapped. The three of them chased the squirrels all around the lab, knocking over various things much to Donnie's annoyance.

"Well, our friend's gone." Raph announced as he entered the lab. He paused at the sight before him. "But we still have plenty of crazy." The mutant squirrels darted underneath his legs, and Raph could only stand and groan a little when his brothers crashed into him chasing after the squirrels. The chase continued throughout the lair, the squirrels remaining a fair distance away from their pursuers.

"Quick!" Leo called to Raph. "Help me seal off the lair! We can't let them escape!"

"Well I don't exactly want 'em in here with us!" Raph growled.

"Get back here you little nut lover!" Mikey screeched, scooping up his skateboard and riding it to gain some speed. He skillfully balanced himself on the board as he reached down, ready to grab the squirrel he chased. But he failed to notice the small pipe running across the floor until the skateboard hit it and sent him sprawling on the ground. "Oh I'm glad Kuro wasn't here to see that." The young turtle groaned painfully.

Donnie leaped up and swung his staff down, intending to pin the squirrel to the floor. But the squirrel suddenly jumped up onto his staff and no amount of spinning could get it off. When it started running towards Donnie, the lanky turtle yelped and tossed the weapon away. Leo managed to corner one of the squirrels, but Donnie's bō hit the box he carried and the second squirrel dropped onto his face. He struggled to get it off for a moment until the squirrel ran down his shell and scampered off towards the bedrooms.

"Not my room!" Mikey complained as he and Raph chased the squirrel. Leo and Donnie caught sight of the second one and their eyes widened when they saw its path.

"The dojo!" Donnie gasped. He and Leo hurried after the squirrel, skidding to a halt at the doors and peering inside. Splinter sat beneath the tree in the dojo, meditating peacefully. The squirrel ventured closer and closer to the rat master, putting Leo and Donnie even more on edge than they already were.

"Sensei's in a deep trance." Donnie whispered.

Leo quietly slapped a hand over Donnie's mouth. "Full ninja mode." The two of them crept into the dojo, keeping their eyes on their target. They each moved to either side of the squirrel, their feet making the smallest of creaking sounds as they walked on the tatami mats. The two of them lunged for the squirrel as quietly as possible, but the bushy-tailed rodent leaped out of the way and the two of them bonked heads. The squirrel scurried up the tree.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Mikey's room, Raph had to pause and look around in bewilderment. "Jeez, Mikey, when's the last time you cleaned?" He blinked. "And since when did you start wearing tighty-whiteys?" He held up said article of clothing with a sai blade.

Mikey took the underwear. "That, my friend, is a story for another day. Let's just focus on the squirrels. Comprende?" He tossed the clothing aside, knocking over some pizza boxes and revealing a couple leftover slices. Mikey brightened up. "Aw, sweet! Awesome idea! I just impressed myself; and I'm sure I would've impressed Kuro as well." He jumped on his bed and began bouncing on it. "Here squirrely, squirrely squirrel! Come get it!"

Raph instantly caught on and, while he thought it ridiculous, picked up a piece of pizza and took a bite. "Here you go, squirrel! Have a tiny bite!" Okay, so the pizza wasn't that bad. But it still didn't bring the squirrel out. "Where is that little sucker?"

* * *

Donnie gave a few quiet, disgruntled groans as he helped push Leo up the tree and towards the squirrel. Leo readied himself and then pushed off, lunging for the mutant creature. But he fell short and suddenly began falling as the squirrel leaped down towards Splinter's head. His ninja reflexes kicking in, Leo grabbed the squirrel in one hand, pushed off the tree with his feet, did a few flips in the air, and landed on his stomach on the dojo floor. He smiled triumphantly…..and then his face fell when the squirrel screeched.

"What is going on in here?!" Splinter snapped, Leo quickly coming to kneel respectfully before him. "I _was _in a deep, meditative trance trying to block out your constant noise and—" He paused. "Is that a chipmunk?"

"Uh…..it's, um….a squirrel, Sensei." Leo corrected sheepishly as he stood. "A dangerous mutant squirrel that reproduces inside stomachs." Then, the squirrel he held slipped from his hand and dived to the ground, Leo swinging his arms to catch it.

Splinter's ears drooped in irritation. "I should have been in a deeper trance." He watched as Leo dived, then Donnie dived, but neither caught the squirrel as it darted away. Then Splinter leaped into the air and landed near a pile of small white crates close by, his foot slamming on the edge of one and sending it spinning into the air. He smacked his staff down on top of the box, catching the squirrel inside it and pinning the box down with his staff. "You will be safe here for a short time, my distant cousin, until we can find out more about you."

* * *

Mikey continued bouncing on his bed for a while. "This pizza is the best!" He sighed happily, allowing himself to land on his back and lay in his bed. Raph sat on the ground beside him, a content smile on his face. Mikey smiled. "Four day old, pepperoni, jellybean, and maple syrup." He sighed again. "Kuro never went for it; guess she liked plain old cheese the best. But it's her choice; she always was a simple sort of person when it came to food."

Raph shook his head, a soft smile on his face. Mikey had yet to stop talking about Kuro for the past week or so, ever since he made the suggestion of calling her back here to help fight the Kraang. Recently, he started adding Haiiro into the talk. At first, it was just annoying to his family members. Then, they started to worry for the young turtle's mental and emotional health. They all knew Mikey was the most attached to Kuro, considering he was the only one who actually got romantically involved with her. But they all needed to humor the possibility that Kuro would never come back to New York. If she didn't come back, neither would Haiiro. However, none of them knew how to approach Mikey on such a sensitive subject.

Maybe… "Hey Mikey…." Raph started.

"Wait, what were we supposed to be doing again?" Mikey asked with a dopey smile on his face. The two of them perked up at the sound of something squeaking, and they looked up to one of the boxes Mikey used to shelve his action figures. Crawling around behind the toys was…

"The squirrel! There you are!" Raph shot up from his spot, twirling his sais and stabbing them relentlessly into the shelf, knocking Mikey's action figures to the floor.

"Raph!" Mikey whined. "That was my limited edition action kick Unicorn Man."

"There's the little creepster!" Raph lunged for the squirrel, sais flying, but nothing he did stopped the squirrel from bouncing all over the place. Then, before he could react, the squirrel suddenly ran across his arms, up to his shoulder, and dove headfirst into Raph's mouth. Before the red-banded turtle could react, the rodent already forced itself down his esophagus.

"Raph!" Mikey screeched.

* * *

"What an amazing show!" Miyako sighed happily as she, Hikari, and Kuro exited the kabuki theater.

"I know!" Kuro nodded in agreement, smiling warmly. "Kabuki is so awesome, huh?"

"I don't think I've ever met someone so into the theater, especially kabuki." Hikari giggled.

"It's a beautiful and traditional art form." Kuro shrugged. "I love it."

"Well I love getting food. Let's eat!" Miyako encouraged.

"You always love to eat." Kuro laughed. But neither she nor Hikari could deny their craving for food, so their next stop became a noodle house down the road. As Kuro ate, her thoughts traveled now and then to her nightmare. For the most part, she just figured it was a reaction from eating seaweed before bed. But something nagged at her in the back of her head. _Just forget about it. _Kuro thought. _Forget about it all. No more mutants._

"You doing all right, Kuro?" Hikari asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Kuro shrugged.

"You've been kinda quiet for the past couple days, almost a week." Hikari noted. "You know how worried we get when you act this way."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Kuro chuckled sheepishly.

"I bet you're thinking about Mikey again." Miyako said teasingly.

Kuro rolled her eyes. "Oh would you just stop with that? I told you guys; I'm over him."

"I don't believe you." Miyako huffed.

"Miyako-chan." Hikari complained softly.

"I'm serious." Miyako insisted. "I could see it in your eyes, Kuro. You really cared about this guy, and even when you tell yourself that you're letting go because it's what's best, you're still upset over it. Face it: you miss him a lot."

Kuro sighed. "Even if I did, it's not like I can change anything."

"Why not?" Miyako asked innocently.

"Well, for one thing I deleted his number from my phone." Kuro admitted. "I just wanted to forget about him."

"Clearly that's not working, now is it?" Miyako huffed.

"Miyako, stop it!" Hikari scolded.

"I won't!" Miyako snapped, shocking both Kuro and Hikari with her tone. But the purple-haired girl's gaze softened as she looked to Kuro. "It hurts me to see you upset like this, Kuro. And Hikari won't say so, but it worries her as well."

Kuro looked to Hikari, who gave in after a moment's hesitation. "It's just that you seemed so happy with him. Why give it up?"

"It's complicated." Kuro said. "I just can't be there for him anymore." She leaned back in her seat, staring at her food. "Besides, I haven't seen him in a couple months. I bet he's forgotten all about me."

"You'll never know unless you call him." Hikari suggested. "Miyako's right; maybe he has a landline or something?"

Kuro thought for a moment. "He does have a home phone number. I think I remember it." She pulled out her cell and began dialing. Secretly, she did know the number; it was the emergency number for the lair that was connected to the landline telephone Splinter kept in his room. Usually, the number was reserved for the whole "emergency" part, but Kuro reasoned that this could be seen as an emergency…..somehow. She pressed the phone to her ear, her friends leaning in excitedly to listen.

"_We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please check the number and try again."_

Kuro frowned, hanging up the phone. "That's weird. Apparently the phone's not working."

"Maybe the power went out or something." Hikari shrugged.

"No, that can't be it." Kuro shook her head. "The weather's not even bad in New York now and they are religious about…..paying the bills." _That's partially true. Donnie would never let the power go out in the lair; not with all his stuff so reliant on electricity. He's always making sure everything runs smoothly. _She stared at her phone. _I wonder….if they disconnected the phone on purpose. The power can't be out, so then why wouldn't the phone work?_

"Kuro, I'm sorry if we upset you at all." Miyako said, interrupting Kuro's thoughts. "Me more than Hikari."

"We just want you to be happy." Hikari added. "And based on how much you seemed to enjoy being with Mikey, we thought it would make you happy to be with him."

Kuro forced a small smile. "He _did _make me happy. But we can't be together anymore, so I have to learn to accept that. I can be happy without him, I'm sure."

"We trust you." Hikari assured, giving Kuro's hand a squeeze. "You do whatever makes you happy."

"From now on, we'll support you no matter what you choose." Miyako nodded. "Just do what makes you happy, not anyone else."

This time, Kuro smiled for real. "You guys are the greatest friends a girl could ask for. Thank you."

* * *

"It's in my guts!" Raph screeched, terrified beyond belief. "I can feel it in there munching on that popcorn I ate! _It's freaking me out, man!" _

Donnie slammed one of the cups he held over Raph's mouth, pinning him to the table he was chained to. "Okay, you gotta stop with the this—" He mimicked a talking motion with his hand. "—because I can't hear what's going on inside your intestines."

"Oh I'll tell you what's going on in there." Mikey looked to his comic. "Let me see…..right now, the mutant squirrel is probably secreting a mucus into your stomach lining so that when it multiplies—" He paused at his brothers' groans of disgust.

"Mikey, not helping." Donnie scolded. "Though probably 98% accurate."

"Get him out get him out _get him out!" _Raph screamed.

Donnie listened to the movement in Raph's stomach for a moment. "Just as I thought. We need to perform surgery, stat. Nurse!" Mikey suddenly lifted a large, spinning saw and began turning the blade, grinning mischievously.

Raph instantly began freaking out again. _"Let me out of here!"_

Suddenly, Donnie unshackled the red-banded turtle and Mikey pulled the saw away, the three brothers laughing at their fourth brother's terror. Raph's terror quickly turned to anger and annoyance as he stood on the table.

"Why you…..you….." He suddenly felt a churning sensation in his stomach, and he fell to his knees clutching his belly. He could feel something climbing up his throat, like the feeling right before vomiting, except this time something way worse would come out.

"Raph?" Donnie whimpered. "Are you…?"

"Bros, brace for grossness!" Mikey warned.

With a heave and a gagging sound, two more mutant squirrels suddenly burst from Raph's mouth and tumbled to the floor. They immediately began screeching at the Turtles, and suddenly the lights and everything electronic in the room flicked and powered off.

"D-Donnie? Donnie!" Leo whimpered a bit. "Some science-y stuff would be a big help right now!" But the four of them could only stare at the mutant squirrels, who then began to glow and eerie green color. They writhed a bit, still screeching.

"Glowing. Glowing's bad!" Mikey gulped, looking back and forth from his comic to the squirrels. "Glowing is _real _bad!"

The doors to the lab opened to reveal a worried Splinter, though he seemed to relax at the sight of his sons safe. "I see it's happening here as well." Looking past their father, the Turtles could see the entire lair had gone dark.

"These things are putting out a crazy energy signature!" Donnie cried, holding his scanner towards the mutant squirrels. "It's messing with my analyzer!" The squirrels suddenly darted out of the lab and into the lair, the ninjas close behind.

"We're doomed!" Mikey whimpered. "Doomed, I tell you!" Despite everyone's slight fear, they hurried from the lab to look for the squirrels. But the glowing rodents disappeared without a trace. However, they could still hear the screeching and chitters of the little beasts.

"Split up and search each room." Splinter ordered.

"Split up?" Mikey repeated incredulously. "Clearly you don't read comics either, Sensei. 'Cause splitting up is the—"

"Silence!" Splinter snapped. "You are trained warriors. We will find these creatures, now!" He hurried off in one direction, leaving his sons' only choice to obey him.

"Split up in the dark to search for multiplying mutants." Raph grumbled as they parted ways. "Could we pick a more cliché way to get eaten?"

"One of us could twist our ankle or our T-phones could die or…." Donnie began listing the options until Raph shoved him in one direction.

"Okay, move!" Raph snapped, moving towards the bedrooms with sais drawn and ready. The Turtles and Splinter searched every nook, cranny, and corner of the lair, each ninja apprehensive and on edge the entire search. They strained their ears for any sounds, but none came. Not even the pitter-patter of the mutant squirrels' feet on the ground. The darkness only made things worse, and each of the Turtles began to wish they brought a flashlight with them.

Mikey peered into his room, looking around for any flashes of green. Upon finding none, he shut the door again and backed away. _Don't be afraid, Mikey. Kuro wouldn't want you to be afraid. She'd tell you to be brave and to not freak out even— _Mikey suddenly felt something touch his shell, and he spun around with a scream. Raph mimicked him, but then frowned.

"What are you doing?" Raph demanded. "I told you _I'd _check the bedrooms!"

"Thought you'd need backup." Mikey chuckled nervously. "You know, Kuro would've never let us split up like this. She'd insist on going in pairs because she believes in strength in numbers and she's always so protective of us and—"

"Mikey, enough!" Raph snapped. "This is so not the time!"

"Well sorry! I'm just proving my point!" Mikey snapped back. But the two of them froze at a strange sound ringing through the air: something that sounded like a raspy breath and a hiss. "I know Kuro would tell us to be brave and not freak out, but there was a sound just like that in my comic when the baby aliens transformed into giant alienoids!"

"Wait, you _read _it in a comic. How can it _sound _the same?" Raph demanded, ignoring the thousandth Kuro comment Mikey made that day. But movement caught Raph's eyes, and he looked up. His eyes widened. "Sweet mother of mutations."

Mikey slowly turned around and he and Raph began backing up. The youngest Turtle stared in horror. _Forget what Kuro would do. Now is the time to freak out! _"They've turned into…into…."

In place of a normal squirrel, the creature before them was much larger and was reduced to skin and bone. Except that skin was now dark purple and the creature's teeth grew into sharp canines. It had glowing green eyes and its tongue seemed to have a head of its own. The creature screeched at the Turtles.

"Squirrelanoids!" Mikey screamed.

Donnie burst from his lab, his eyes locked on his scanner. "Oh no. Leo! They're here!" Not a second after he finished that sentence, a squirrelanoid tackled him to the ground. Leo turned as one appeared behind him, but the creature knocked him to the ground with ease.

"They're gonna brain-suck us!" Mikey yelped as the squirrelanoid chased him and Raph around the lair. Within seconds, the mutant monsters surrounded the Turtles and prepared to attack, either to flat-out kill them or devour the reptiles.

Out of nowhere, Splinter appeared between the beasts and his sons, swinging his staff and knocking all three squirrelanoids aside. Glaring in determination and focus, Splinter leaped into battle. He twirled his staff skillfully and easily took down the first mutant squirrel that came at him. He leaped up to the spiraled platform above as the second monster came forth, but one swing of his staff and the beast fell. The third one squealed as it lunged, but Splinter stood his ground and landed a firm palm strike, sending the creature flying to the ground. Realizing the mutant rat was much more powerful than their former prey, the squirrelanoids bounded off, two of them heading into the tunnels and one of them diving into the waters of the nearby pool.

"The sewers lead to the surface!" Leo gasped. "If those things get out—"

"Go then." Splinter ordered. "Quickly! I will stay to defend the lair in case the beasts double back."

"Which means we have to go after them alone?" Mikey whimpered. "In the dark sewer? Without you or Kuro?"

Splinter stared at them with a determined gaze. "Who amongst you wants to prove you are the bravest? The strongest of will? The worthiest of ninjas?"

The Turtles exchanged looks.

* * *

Most of the rats in the sewer scampered off when the squirrelanoids came by. It wasn't until Metalhead came clanking down the path did the entire rodent population scurry away.

Safely tucked away in the now-powered lair, the Turtles and Splinter watched the TV screen as Donnie operated Metalhead. "Master Splinter, I'd say there's some kind of lesson here. Like, I don't know, 'brains over bravery' or something?"

Splinter narrowed his eyes, but then smirked. "I'd say the 'something' part is most accurate."

Mikey kept glancing fearfully from his comic to the TV screen. "I'm not gonna say this happened in my comic…..but this happened in my comic!"

A screeching noise suddenly came from the speakers. "What was that?" Raph asked, all eyes glued to the monitor before them. Donnie turned Metalhead's head around, searching for any sign of the squirrelanoids. Soon, it caught sight of a shadow ahead.

"There's one!" Leo said in a hushed tone, as though to not alert the creature to the robot's presence. The Turtles leaned in closer, as did Splinter, waiting to see what would happen. Then, quite suddenly, a squirrelanoid dropped into their view and lunged, biting Metalhead's head clean off.

"Metalhead!" Donnie cried, the five of them watching Metalhead's body wander around like it searched for its missing head. The Turtles stared in horror, starting to feel like they were caught in the plotline of a scary movie.

"Page 33!" Mikey gasped. "Oh man!"

"Don't worry, little pal!" Donnie cried into the TV screen. "I'll make ya all better."

Splinter stood up straight with a somewhat snarky smirk. "I do not want to say I was right, but I was right."

* * *

Air getting sliced; clacking of wood; cries of effort; taps of bare feet against tatami floors. These were the sounds typical to any dojo, but especially for the small dojo attached to the Oroku home. Kuro grunted a few times in effort, swinging her wooden katana and blocking strikes from her mother's wooden blade. The two of them moved with grace, speed, and strength, almost equal in skill. Although Kuro mainly trained in the art of ninja and ninjutsu, her samurai mother insisted on teaching her the bushido code and the fighting style of the samurai to better her skills in battle. In the weeks she spent with her parents, Kuro adapted well to the samurai style of fighting, growing more and more accustomed to using a sword rather than her old gauntlets. It felt nice to have a weapon back in her hands, even if it was just during sparring sessions.

Kuro leaped into the air, swinging her sword down towards her mother's head. Miho easily blocked the attack, crouching and sweeping Kuro's legs from under her the second she landed on her feet. Kuro fell back and hit the ground, her sword skittering away.

Miho smiled. "Well done. That will be all; let's go get cleaned up." Kuro smiled back as she stood, bowing and following her mother back into the house. "You're getting better and better every day."

"Thanks." Kuro said gratefully. "I couldn't ask for a better teacher."

"Don't let Splinter know." Miho giggled. "He may get jealous."

Kuro giggled as well. "Splinter's a ninja master, and a pretty awesome one at that."

"Have you talked to Splinter recently?" Miho asked.

"No." Kuro shrugged. "I decided I wouldn't try and call them or anything."

"Oh really?" Miho seemed surprised.

"I'm just trying to sever my ties with my old life in New York City." Kuro shrugged again. "If I'm going to be truly happy, then it has to be done." She stretched and sighed, wiping sweat off her brow. "I'm going to get in the bath." With that, she promptly jogged up the stairs to the bathroom. Miho stared after her for a moment before moving to the kitchen to start dinner. As she cooked, she listened to the movement of upstairs as Kuro entered the bathroom and began drawing hot water from the faucet of the tub. Miho tried to focus more on her cooking, but she couldn't help but reflect on how much her life changed since getting her daughter back. The day she and Nagi realized Kuro was taken left a devastating effect on them. To have Kuro back brought a new light into their home; it almost seemed like the kidnapping never happened. Miho could never forget the fateful day her husband came home with two new surprises: a new pet cat and their long-lost daughter. She was so afraid it was all a dream, but when she found her daughter still in the house the next morning she knew it was all real.

Then there was the matter of Saki. Needless to say, Miho was furious to hear that Kuro's kidnapper was her own blood. But what shocked Miho the most was how calmly Nagi acted. He _did _spend about an hour beating on a dojo punching bag when he thought his wife wasn't watching, but once he finished he went about with life as usual. When she demanded to know how he could be so calm about the situation, Nagi told his wife that he couldn't give up on his brother because "he's all I have left." That's when Miho realized that Nagi didn't have any other family besides Saki, the two of them being the very last of their family after the Foot Clan's destruction. Still, Miho couldn't quite accept it yet.

"Tadaima!" Nagi called as he entered the house. He came up to his wife and kissed her cheek, earning a warm smile from her. "How was your day?"

"Very nice." Miho nodded. "Work went about as usual, and today I was able to get some samurai training in with Kuro."

Nagi's face changed to one of slight unease. "Did you talk to her about….that?"

"No, but I did ask her about the Turtles and Splinter." Miho said, her face fallen. "She said she wanted to sever all ties with them." She looked to her husband hopefully. "Maybe…maybe she could…" She sighed.

Nagi pulled his wife into a comforting embrace. "It's what's best, my dearest. You know that."

Miho sighed, sinking into her husband's arms. "I know."

Meanwhile, Haiiro slept peacefully in her cat tree in Kuro's room, dreaming of her time with Splinter, the Turtles, and April. The feline often thought about her former master and adoptive "kittens," wondering if they were doing all right. Her motherly instincts for them remained, even after Splinter left her in Kuro's care, and she sometimes wondered what would've happened if she stayed with them. Then again, Haiiro gained a strong bond with Kuro and her parents, treating the young Japanese teen as her only "kitten." The smoky gray feline with pretty blue eyes couldn't deny that she liked living in a warm, comfortable house, but she did miss her mutant family.

At the sound of the door opening, Haiiro wearily blinked open her eyes and yawned, stretching and raising her head to see Kuro entering the room. Closing the door behind her, the girl moved to Haiiro and smiled up at the feline. She was still a little wet from her dip in the bath.

"Hey Haiiro." Kuro greeted. "Have a nice dream?"

"Merow." Haiiro seemed to nod.

"What were you dreaming about?" Kuro asked, ignoring the fact that Haiiro may or may not understand her.

Haiiro could understand, though, and her ears drooped a bit as she gave a soft "mew."

Kuro looked down. "You were dreaming about the guys again, huh?"

Haiiro didn't answer, stretching and standing in the cat tree.

"We've been away for a long time, Haiiro." Kuro said, petting the cat. "They've probably forgotten about us by now."

* * *

"Kuro wouldn't have let us split up at all." Mikey ticked off each scenario on his fingers. "Kuro wouldn't have let you swallow one of them so at least we'd only have to deal with two of them. Kuro wouldn't let those things hurt us; heck, _Haiiro _would've eaten those things as an appetizer. Kuro would've taken them down in ten seconds and then we could've locked them up. Kuro would've prevented the first squirrel from entering the crazy guy's mouth and then this entire situation wouldn't have happened. Kuro—"

"_Enough Mikey!" _Raph spun around and shouted at his brother. The two of them has split off from Donnie and Leo about fifteen minutes ago, searching for the squirrelanoids in the sewers. Raph tried to humor his brother and asked what happened in the comic, but all he got was a gruesome story of the aliens picking off the crew members in the dark. Then Mikey started listing off all the things Kuro might have done and what might have resulted from it. Only now, Raph was at the end of his rope.

"All I'm saying is that if we had called Kuro in the first place and told her what happened, things could've turned out differently!" Mikey snapped. "We should've called her the moment we found out the Kraang were back!"

"We all agreed that she's safer at home with her parents, her family!" Raph snapped.

"We're her family too!" Mikey protested.

"Yeah, we are." Raph nodded, looking serious but calmer now. "And families do what's best for each other, remember? What's best for Kuro is to stay away from here. You want to protect her, right?"

Mikey looked down. "Yes…."

"I know you miss her, Mikey." Raph's tone softened considerably. "I do too. All my life, living with three brothers, I never imagined what it would be like to have a sister. But when Kuro came into our lives, I couldn't imagine life without her. Everyone misses Kuro so much, and you constantly talking about her only makes us miss her more. Even constantly talking about Haiiro is driving us nuts. Believe it or not, I actually miss that little hairball."

Mikey looked up sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I really am. I just miss Kuro so much that I can't stop thinking about her. It's okay if she had to leave, but she could have at least emailed us or something." He stared at Raph. "Why won't she get in touch with us?"

Raph looked down now. He was never one to get emotional, so he didn't really know how to handle the situation. Mikey tended to get a lot more emotional than the rest of the Turtles, almost the exact opposite of Raph. Finally, the red-banded Turtle looked to Mikey. "Listen Mikey, if we don't all get eaten tonight by giant, mutant squirrels, then I want you to talk to Splinter about this. Okay?"

Mikey seemed to think about it, then offered a small smile. "Okay." Raph smiled back, but then the two of them froze at the sound of a small screech. Not two seconds later, a squirrelanoid dropped into their path and screeched in their faces. Shouting in terror, they turned and sprinted off towards a nearby tunnel. But they just reached the opening of the tunnel when Donnie and Leo crashed into them at a full-speed run, sending all four of them into an open space and crashing into a sandy area. The four Turtles stood, weapons drawn, and watched albeit nervously as the squirrelanoids circled them like vultures.

"They'll crack our shells like nuts!" Mikey squeaked.

"Then we might as well go down in a blaze of glory!" Raph urged. Giving mighty battle cries, the four ninjas lunged into battle.

Donnie swung his staff with skill and grace, causing the squirrelanoid he fought to squeal in pain with every strike. As he spun the length of wood, the squirrelanoid actually backed away from him. Leo easily dodged the squirrelanoid he fought, the monster snapping its jaws and threatening to bite off his head. But Leo ducked unto the mutant's strike and sliced at the wheel on a nearby pipe, spraying hot steam into the mutant squirrel's face. Mikey leaped over pipes and swung his nunchaku, smacking the squirrelanoid he fought whenever the beast came too close. While the beast was distracted by the orange-banded turtle, Raph took the chance to throw one of his sais and pin the monster's arm to a nearby ladder by its wrist. Then Raph leaped high into the air, striking the squirrelanoid as he came down to stand beside his brother. Mikey moved in again, his eyes set in a determined glare. Donnie soon became forced to leap away as his squirrelanoid advanced towards him, using his staff to keep the monster's jaws away from him. Leo found himself blindsided by his squirrelanoid, but he recovered quickly. Raph and Mikey hammered away on their opponent, but it seemed none of their attacks had any effect. Suddenly, the squirrelanoid jerked its hand free from Raph's sai trap and swung its tail, smacking the two turtles into the shallow pit below.

The four Turtles backed away from the monsters, forcing them to stop when they hit a barred door blocking their path. They were quickly running out of options and time.

"All right, Mikey, I'm in." Raph admitted. "How does the sole survivor beat the aliens?"

Mikey smiled now. "It was so awesome! He baited the alien into an air lock and then he—" He paused. "Oh!" He suddenly ran forward, leaping off a nearby pipe and sprinting down the tunnel above them.

"Did he just bail on us?" Raph scoffed incredulously.

"I think he's got a plan!" Leo corrected. The remaining Turtles continued the fight, although now they spent much more time running from the squirrelanoids rather than fighting them. This plan quickly fell apart, and in a matter of several seconds the squirrelanoids beat the Turtles into the ground. The three beasts slowly advanced towards their fallen prey, screeching the entire time. Donnie, Leo, and Raph could only lay on the ground and stare, praying that whatever Mikey was doing it was for them.

The squirrelanoids suddenly paused and began sniffing the air. "Yoo-hoo! Glow heads!" Mikey's voice came from the entrance to one of the tunnels. A bag of popcorn rested in his hands, and he popped a few pieces into his mouth. "Want some?" he taunted, turning to sprint down the tunnel as the squirrelanoids chased him.

"Mikey _has _a plan!" Raph realized.

Mikey shouted in terror as he sprinted down the tunnel, the squirrelanoids close behind him. But he forced himself to not look back as he kept running, not stopping until he reached a room with a large, deep pool of water. He leaped across the pool to the other side, turning as the squirrelanoids entered.

The young turtle chuckled nervously. "Come and get it." He said in a shaky, sing-song voice. He tossed the popcorn into the water, and the squirrelanoids hurriedly dived in after it. Not wasting a second, Mikey turned a nearby wheel that opened the gate at the bottom of the pool, causing all the water to be sucked away and taking the squirrelanoids with it.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey smiled proudly, turning and walking towards the tunnel to return to his brothers. But one of the squirrelanoids' long tongue suddenly shot from the water, wrapping around Mikey's ankle and dragging him into the swirling whirlpool. The tongue continued to wrap around him, almost like a snake, and Mikey struggled to get it off and escape his one-way ticket to death. The squirrelanoid dragged him under the water, pulling him farther and farther from the surface. _No…..please… _Mikey begged. _Don't let it end this way. I want to be with my brothers and Sensei. I want to see Kuro again. I want to see Haiiro again. Please let me live to see them again._

A hand grabbed Mikey's wrist, and he felt the cold touch of a blade as it forced the tongue around him to let go. Something pulled him from the depths, and he coughed up a bit of water before looking up to his rescuers.

"I got ya!" Raph assured, keeping a firm grip on Mikey's wrist.

"We all do!" Leo added, he and Donnie making the rest of the chain that held Mikey above the water. Mikey smiled warmly at his brothers, but the happiness turned to horror when a squirrelanoid leaped from the waters. Raph's eyes widened then narrowed in half a second, and he tossed a couple shuriken to send the monster back into the water. The currents pulled all three squirrelanoids down, away from the turtles as they hauled their youngest up to solid ground.

"The septic tanks down below should hold those creeps." Leo assured.

"At least until I can figure out a retro-mutagen to turn them back." Donnie added.

Raph looked to Mikey, who seemed a bit shaken but otherwise fine. It was hard to believe he came close to getting killed. Raph cracked a smile. "I'm glad you didn't get flushed, little brother."

"You and me both, bro." Mikey nodded, that goofy smile back on his face.

* * *

Back at the lair, the four brothers decided to take a well-earned break after so much craziness in such a short timeframe. Mikey lounged in a beanbag chair with a new comic, the rest of his brothers watching TV.

"I hate to admit it, but it looks like all of Mikey's comic book reading paid off." Raph noted.

Leo smiled, rubbing Mikey's head like he would tousle hair. "And that was pretty clever to realize that squirrelanoids were attracted to the scent of food."

"Actually, that was pretty obvious." Donnie pointed out. "I can't believe _I _didn't think of it."

"Not everyone can be the brains of the outfit." Mikey shrugged, continuing to read his comic.

"And have any of you considered what if one of those creatures manages to escape?" Splinter asked as he entered, a grave tone in his voice.

"No worries, Sensei." Raph assured. "Those giant, nut-loving freaks are gone for good." He and Leo fist-bumped.

Mikey suddenly looked worried. "Um…..actually, a bunch of sequel comics came out." He showed his brothers the comic he read. "The aliens come back."

"Of course they do." Raph sighed. "Because nothing can ever be easy for us."

"As Kuro would say," Mikey shrugged, relaxing again. "Go with the flow."

It clicked in Raph's head, and he looked to Master Splinter. So did Leo and Donnie. The rat master gave a small nod, remembering the told the four of them had about Mikey. "Michelangelo, please come with me."

Mikey seemed confused, but shrugged and set his comic down to follow Splinter into the dojo. Donnie stared after him worriedly. "Are we sure we want to do this? I mean, I know we have to be realistic, but what is Mikey can't handle it?"

"It would be cruel to let him live on a false hope." Leo reasoned. "Only Master Splinter can get through to him."

"It's what's best." Raph agreed, staring at the floor. "No matter how much it hurts."

Splinter remained silent until he and Mikey got to the dojo, the two of them standing beneath the tree. "I know why I'm here, Sensei." Mikey sighed. "You want to talk about Kuro."

Splinter turned to his youngest son and nodded. "It's about your slight obsessiveness towards her."

"It's not obsessiveness." Mikey protested. "I just miss her. She and even Haiiro should be here to help us fight. Kuro should be fighting by our side and, to be honest, I actually miss Haiiro bathing our heads in the mornings."

"Michelangelo, while we all miss Haiiro's morning baths, we all know the core of your problem is how much you want Kuro to return." Splinter said.

"Well who here doesn't?" Mikey demanded, beginning to lose it but fighting to keep calm in front of his sensei. "Come on, you can't say she shouldn't be here to help us."

"I miss Kuro very much." Splinter admitted. "And there are times when I wish I had kept her from leaving. But it was her decision, so we must respect it."

"But we need her help!" Mikey suddenly snapped. "She's one of our most powerful warriors and she can help us beat the Kraang once and for all! You can't deny that!"

"Michelangelo—" Splinter started.

"I miss her, Sensei!" Mikey cried, sounding more desperate than anything else. "I miss having her in our lives! I can't stop thinking about her and every day I wonder what I could've done to make her stay. If I could do something, anything to get her back, I will do it!"

Splinter stared at his youngest son, his face unreadable. "Michelangelo, do you realize that is a selfish way of thinking?"

"I know, I know!" Mikey groaned in frustration. "If I truly love her, I should let her go. Because as long as she's happy, I should be happy. Well guess what, Sensei? I'm _not _happy. I can't imagine my life without her being in it. She makes my life worth living and when she left, I almost ran after her. But I stayed because I knew my place was here." He breathed a little heavily, staring at the ground. His fists clenched and he blinked away tears, fighting to look strong before his master and father. "I don't know what to do. I want her to be happy; more than anything, I want Kuro to be happy. But I also want her _here. _I don't know what to do." He looked up, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Tell me what to do, Sensei."

Splinter didn't answer for a moment, thinking about the times he considered asking one of the boys email Kuro for him. The days they all spent in silence as they tried to get over her leaving. They all remembered Kuro and little Haiiro, missing the two of them terribly. But ultimately, everyone except Mikey could accept that they were happier with their normal lives. In the end, the mutants were the ones who needed to make the necessary sacrifice for the sake of their beloved family.

The rat master put a comforting hand on Mikey's shoulder. "Let her go. Let both of them go. Even if it makes us unhappy, we do what is best for Kuro and Haiiro."

Mikey swallowed hard, fighting tears. But he couldn't stop himself from lunging forward and wrapping his arms around Splinter's middle, letting out his quiet sobs into his father's chest. Splinter held his youngest son close, sighing sadly. Within seconds, Leo, Donnie, and Raph came in to join the embrace, taking in one another's comfort.

* * *

Nagi stared at his computer screen, analyzing the web pages he previously opened. A knock at the door broke his focus. "Come in."

Kuro slid the door open to the office space in the house, dressed in her pajamas and carrying Haiiro in her arms. "Hey Dad. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Kuro." Nagi nodded, turning and lifting up a box from the floor. Kuro moved to sit on the couch across from the desk, Nagi turning in his chair to face his daughter. Haiiro moved to the spot beside Kuro as Nagi placed the box on the coffee table between the desk and the couch. "A gift for you."

Kuro smirked. "It's not my birthday and last I checked it's not any kind of holiday."

Nagi smirked as well. "Just open it."

Kuro giggled as she pulled open the box, blinking in surprise at the contents. "What's this?"

"Just something to hang in your room as a decoration." Nagi said cryptically. "Or to be used in battle."

Kuro stared at her father; Haiiro seemed to mimic her. "Dad, what are you talking about?"

Nagi sighed, spinning in his chair to retrieve his laptop from the desk. He showed Kuro the webpages he pulled up, the girl pushing the box aside to stare at the electronic pages. Haiiro looked as well, and her fur bristled just the slightest bit. Kuro stared in shock, reading headlines that screamed "glowing goo falls from the sky" and "monsters roam the city: alien conspiracy or prankster's hoax?" Most of them seemed to be from the websites of conspiracy theorists, but each and every one of them recounted tales of monsters and spaceships in New York City.

"The Kraang?" Kuro breathed.

Nagi nodded solemnly. "They're back, Kuro. No doubt the Lotus Clan has discovered this as well. It would seem the fight is not over yet."

Kuro sighed. "Of course not."

Nagi stared at his daughter for a moment. "Kuro, you know you should go back."

Silence enveloped the office space. "Figures, this had to happen after I decided to leave them forever."

"The Kraang are not an enemy that stays down after the first strike, as you can see." Nagi reasoned. "They need to be given the message again and, like it or not, the Turtles are going to need as much help as they can get." Kuro stared back and forth from the ground to Nagi's gift. "But it's your decision."

Kuro looked up in surprise. "What?"

"I believe you need to go back." Nagi explained. "You should fight by their sides and help them defeat this enemy once and for all. But, ultimately, this is your decision to make. If you decide to stay here, I won't hold it against you. I just wanted you to be aware of the situation."

Kuro nodded in thought. "Does Mom know?"

"We talked about it already." Nagi nodded. "And we will support you no matter what you choose. If you leave, we'll drive you to the airport. If you stay, we'll continue life as normal. But you cannot let our feelings decide for you. This is something you decide for yourself, Kuro. It's a big decision, but we've always told you to follow your heart and trust it. All I ask is that, if you decide to return to New York City, you do not judge my brother too harshly. Remember what I taught you about family: we don't choose our families, so we must accept them whoever they may be. I don't expect you to forgive my brother, but please don't forget that he is the only member of my side of the family you have left. For my sake, remember that he is your blood." He held up his hands. "But like I said, this is your choice. And you don't even have to decide now. Just tell me and Mom what you decide." With that, he stood and exited the office, leaving Kuro to her musings.

Kuro looked down, her thoughts racing. Could she really go back? After everything she tried to do to forget her NYC family? She didn't want to go back to such a crazy life; she loved her life as it stood now. Then again, she did miss those wacky mutants. She missed their sibling bickering and having that parent-child bond with Splinter. She missed hanging out with April in the city. She missed sparring with Karai and spending time with her surrogate sister/cousin/whatever she was. She even missed Bradford and his brotherly attitude towards her. But she didn't miss her dangerous enemies and the constant threats on her friends' lives. She wanted to stay in Japan with her parents and her new friends. She wanted to stay a normal teenager and forget that she ever met the Turtles. She wanted to forget all about mutants and aliens and saving the world.

She was Oroku Kuro, a normal teenage girl with normal teenage problems, and that was final.

"My choice, huh?" Kuro sighed. "Well then I know exactly what to choose." She stood promptly, taking the box with Nagi's gift and closing the lid. Then she stuffed it under the couch and marched from the room, Haiiro at her heels.


	3. Follow the Leader

**Episode 3: Follow the Leader**

Rummaging around in dumpsters wasn't an ideal night out on the town, but for four ninja turtles it just seemed like a regular evening hunting for mutagen canisters. Several days passed since the whole Squirrelanoid incident and Mikey accepting that Kuro wouldn't return. Though he stopped locking himself in his room all day, his brothers and father remained concerned for him. Still, he was able to put on his goofy smile once more and digging through the trash seemed to calm him down considerably. But for the Turtles, it seemed like whenever one problem became solved another just popped up in its place.

"Come on, Donnie." Raph encouraged. "Don't get so bent out of shape about April. She'll come around."

Donnie paid more attention to his scanner, but he couldn't help but think about April. Their redheaded friend hadn't spoken to them since her father was mutated, so clearly she was still plenty steamed. Donnie sighed. "Yeah, guess you're right."

Leo rummaged through a trash can, but didn't find anything. Standing, he glanced to the dumpster next to him and listened curiously to the sounds echoing from inside. He jumped when Mikey popped up from the trash, looking quite happy. "No sign of any mutagen, but you're not going to believe what I found!" Mikey held up a stuffed iguana, the toy covered in dirt and a little grime. "An iguana wearing a top hat! Isn't that cool? I mean, why would you throw this out?" He began mimicking a British accent, using the puppet to talk. "'Ello govena. How do you like my manacle?"

"Monocle." Donnie corrected.

"Whatever." Mikey shrugged.

"You realize that could be a distant cousin?" Raph scoffed at his youngest brother. "And he's stuffed with sawdust."

Horrified, Mikey suddenly tossed the doll aside. "Sick!"

"Quiet, guys!" Donnie hissed. "My ooze scanner is going crazy again! I told you mutagen was close by."

"Eh, you're scanner's about as useless as a trench coat on a turtle." Raph huffed.

"Just give him a chance, Raph." Leo said. "It's our fault those containers went missing. We gotta find them before some Random Joe ends up mutated."

Donnie continued to follow his scanner as it beeped in a higher pitch and faster as he gained altitude. He guided his brothers up the rooftops, and within seconds Mikey caught sight of something glowing and hurried over to it. "Found it!" He cheered, holding up the mutagen canister. "How many does that bring us up to?"

"One, and a half." Donnie said, causing his brothers to groan. "But look at the bright side: only sixty-three more to go!"

"Shall I bring up that Kuro would not see that as a bright side?" Mikey huffed.

"Mikey…" Leo intoned, reminding the young turtle.

"I know, I know." Mikey took a breath. "I promised I wouldn't talk about Kuro or Haiiro anymore. I'm sorry." His brothers nodded, both in acceptance and understanding. No matter how hard they tried to forget their sister, it wasn't easy to forget how much they missed her.

They weren't the only ones. Even the members of the Foot Clan missed Oroku Kuro, though most of it was placed on Karai's shoulders. The Japanese teen missed her surrogate sister greatly, and she longed for the day when she could see Kuro again. But she respected Kuro's desire to get away and find herself, so she didn't pester Kuro or try to get in touch with her. Sometimes, it bothered Karai that Kuro never contacted her, but Karai felt she respected her sister too much to bother her while she was on this journey.

Currently, Karai watched the Turtles from a rooftop a long ways off from them, peering through a pair of binoculars. "So, the Turtles are hunting for the missing mutagen supply." She lowered the binoculars, watching the Turtles leave. "This makes the game so much easier." She looked to her palm, where she attached a tekagi-shuko, and suddenly sliced the small blades to one side. The top of the metal chimney beside her slid off and to the ground below.

A wicked smile crossed the teen's face.

* * *

The evening passed on uneventfully for the Turtles as they continued their search. But all the silence put too much stress on Mikey's hyperactive, ADHD-like personality. "We've been looking for mutagen for days now, dudes!" He groaned. "This is so boring! I'm gonna scream!" And he did; he let out a low, long-drawn-out "aaaaaahhhhhhh" until his brothers shouted at him.

"Okay, okay!" Leo snapped. "We get it! We'll take a little break and do something fun. Cool?" His brothers cheered. "Training session! Yes!" His brothers groaned, and Leo frowned. "Guys, Sensei wants me to train you and that's what I'm gonna do." He looked around. "You see Dragon Gate over there?" His brothers followed his point to the entrance of the Chinatown district. "I'm going to defend it, like King of the Mountain. Now, the only way you can get past me is to use traditional, close-quarters fighting. Got it?"

"Whatever you say, Fearless Leader." Raph huffed, punching his palm. "Let's just get it over with." Leo turned and hopped down to the ropes stringing lanterns across the street, skillfully walking across to the Chinese gate. Raph smirked craftily and turned to Donnie and Mikey. "Guys, I got an idea."

Leo stabbed one of his swords into the gate, mentally preparing himself to fight. Then he drew his other katana and walked a short distance across the rope leading to the other side of the street, where his brothers waited.

Mikey came up first, smirking back towards Donnie and Raph before plugging in his T-pod ear buds and blaring music into his head. "What's up, ninja?" He whooped, casually walking across the rope towards Leo.

Leo frowned. "What are you doing, Mikey?" Mikey blew a raspberry and suddenly jumped up, landing and spinning on his shell. Leo glared, darting towards his brother with sword raised and ready. But no matter what he did to strike, Mikey would easily dodge and then lightly tap and punch his brother. The entire time, he kept his music in his ears and seemed to dance as he fought. In fact, he wasn't really paying attention to the fight as he kept his eyes closed. Leo easily caught his balance, sighing. "Real funny. Come on!" He charged in again, but Mikey used the rope like a trampoline and sent him flying into the air, landing softly on Dragon Gate.

"Made it!" Mikey whooped.

Leo groaned. "That's not fair! That was not a real fight!" He turned as Donnie came up next, and he prepared to face him. Donnie pulled out a couple throwing stars, his mind running through calculations like a super computer. Fast as lightning, he threw the knives in all different directions. The knives bounced off several different surfaces and ricocheted back to Leo, who became so focused on deflecting the stars that Donnie easily slipped past him. Leo groaned a bit. _Figures; they just couldn't follow orders. _He glanced back to Raph. "So what's your trick gonna be?"

"Tricks?" Raph scoffed. "What are you guys talking about?" He suddenly whipped out a sai and threw it at Leo, forcing him to use his katana to deflect it.

"Hey!" Leo snapped. "Ninjas never throw their weapons." Quite suddenly, Raph charged across the rope and punched Leo squarely in the jaw, sending the blue-banded turtle to the ground. He groaned in pain as he forced himself to stand, jumping a little when he second katana fell in front of him. "Lame-o-nardo" was carved into the blade, and he glared as his brothers jumped to the ground and laughed at him. "Why do you always undermine my training?!"

"You just want us to fight exactly like you fight!" Raph snapped. "But the whole point is to make it to the Dragon Gate any way we can, right?" He didn't give Leo a chance to answer before he turned and walked off, Donnie and Mikey following him.

Leo glared after them for a moment, but then a feeling of helplessness came over him. He glanced down at his katana, the insult carved onto it feeling like a slap to the face. He just couldn't understand why his brothers wouldn't follow him. Splinter chose him to be the leader, and all he wanted was to be the best leader he could be. But his brothers refused to follow him. Was it because they were just stubborn, or was it because he wasn't a good leader?

* * *

"I don't know, Sensei." Leo sighed as he paced back and forth before his meditating master. "Maybe I'm not cut out for all this. I don't really think the guys respect me. I just…..I just want to be a good leader, you know?"

Splinter finally opened his eyes. "Leonardo, a true leader doesn't always impose his will but helps his followers flourish, grow." The rat master said wisely.

Leo looked down. "Maybe I shouldn't be leading the team?"

Splinter's eyes softened. "My son, how can your brothers believe in you as leader if you do not believe in yourself?"

Leo closed his eyes, allowing the words to swim in his brain. _I just want to be a good leader. I want to be like Sensei. But how can I do that when none of the guys follow me? How can simply believing in myself help me be a better leader? _Leo bowed to his father and left, still looking quite glum. _Kuro once took the leadership position from me. Though I hate to admit it, she rocked at it. I wonder….what would she tell me if she were here now?_

* * *

Karai sat quietly in Bradford's old dojo, recently finished with her personal training session. Now, she stared at a torn picture she held. Though it didn't show much, it showed the one thing she loved the most: her mother, Tang Shen. Karai often thought about her mother, wondering if she would be proud of her little girl. Sometimes it was hard to believe Tang Shen was killed before Karai could even remember her, and there were times when Karai wanted to break down and sob. But she was good at hiding her feelings from the people around her.

Everyone except Kuro.

Karai felt her heightened ninja senses pick up on the sound of a blade, then soft footsteps, but she didn't even turn as she glared. The Foot Ninja behind her swung a sword, but she leaped out of the way just in time and tucked her mother's picture away in one pocket. She drew her sword and lunged into battle, easily beating back the first ninja. A second one came from her right, but she leaped into the air and spun around to kick the warrior to the ground. A third lunged with twin hand scythes, but once again she easily blocked the strikes. She jumped back to stare at the three opponents before her, glaring in determination. She jumped over the first ninja that lunged towards her, flipping and kicking the warrior's head. With a few more precise and strong moves, she sent the three ninja flying and hitting the ground. Her opponents laid on the floor, in a daze, and she turned to walk off.

_Too easy. _Karai mentally sighed.

A sound caught Karai's attention, and she turned in surprise to see her opponents rose. Was it a trick with the moonlight, or were their eyes glowing red behind the bug-eye lenses of their masks? Karai prepared herself again as the three ninjas lunged. She dodged a strike from the first one, flipping and aiming to repeat her previous move, but her eyes widened when the Foot Ninja suddenly dodged the attack. In fact, no matter what attack she threw, they dodged them easily. She aimed a punch, but one of the Foot Ninja caught her wrist and began to squeeze. She gritted her teeth in pain, watching with slight fear as the other two ninjas came towards her.

"Enough!"

The Foot Ninja released Karai and turned to bow as Shredder came into the room. "The Kraang swore that these new Foot Soldiers would be deadly. They were true to their word."

Karai felt a little miffed that her father used her as a human guinea pig, but even she had to be impressed by these robotic ninjas. "I thought they'd finish me off. But you wouldn't let them do that, right Father?"

Shredder didn't answer her question. "I am leaving for Japan to take care of urgent business. You are not to make any moves against the Turtles until I return."

Okay, now Karai was _really _miffed. "But I told you—"

Shredder unsheathed his gauntlet blades, silencing the girl. "Disobedience comes with a stiff penalty, child." He sheathed the blades and marched past her to leave the dojo.

"Even for your daughter?" Karai asked bitterly.

"_Especially _for my daughter." Shredder confirmed, causing Karai to wince.

* * *

The next morning, Shredder left to the airport for Japan. Once he arrived and checked in, he received a call that his jet would be delayed due to some weather. Though frustrated, he resolved to just sitting at a nearby café and getting some tea while ignoring everyone staring at him. What was so unusual about a tall, muscular man in a business suit with a horrifying scar across half of his face anyway? It took another hour, but he finally got a call announcing his jet arrived, so he took up his bag and began moving towards the gate.

Had he thought about it at the time, he would've looked out the window to the runway and discovered something few others would have noticed. One of the passenger liners taxied its way into the right gate, putting on the brakes and attendants driving carts on the ground came up to unload the cargo. Bags were tossed onto carts and transported away towards the baggage claim. But as they traveled, something amongst the bags shifted and one of them began moving. The zipper of a neon green duffel came undone just enough for an eye to peer out at the bag's surroundings. The zipper opened wider and a hand reached out, smashing an egg onto the other bags and causing a burst of smoke to erupt. When the smoke cleared, the neon bag was gone without a trace. Oddly enough, nobody seemed to notice as the bag was carried by someone sneaking through the airport. The figure stuck to the shadows, a smaller shape traveling alongside. The two figures hurried from one shadow to another, moving all around the outside of the airport. Though most would find it hard to sneak in broad daylight, somehow these two found enough shadows to stay in as they snuck away from the airport and into town. They stopped on a bridge, looking out towards the Manhattan skyline, and finally the light revealed it to be a young Japanese teenager and a cat with smoky gray fur and bright blue eyes.

Kuro readjusted her duffel strap on her shoulder, sighing. "Well Haiiro, welcome back to New York City."

Haiiro stared at the tall buildings in the short distance away, seeming to smile as she meowed happily.

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with you there." Kuro finally allowed a smile to come across her lips. "It's good to be back." Her smile fell away and she looked to the sky, as though praying. "Please….please let this be the right decision."

* * *

Karai sat back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She must've run through her plan a thousand times in her head, gone through three hours of training, but nothing amused her until she could execute her idea this evening. It would be a glorious victory, but what exactly was she supposed to do until she got to that point?

Sighing, Karai sat up in her bed. "I don't think I've ever been so bored. Why can't something spontaneous happen?" She jumped at a _thunk_, and she quickly moved over to the source of the sound: her window. Opening it, she discovered a throwing knife embedded in her windowsill, with some kind of message tied to it. Curious and a little wary, Karai untied the note and unfurled the paper to read it. "'Come and play.'" Karai looked up, noticing a figure clad in black standing on a roof several hundred feet away, waving tauntingly at Karai. The teen frowned. "All right, if _that's _how this day is going to be." She jumped out her window, leaping across rooftops to reach the figure. Upon getting a closer look, she still couldn't see much considering the figure wore a cloth face mask and a hooded cloak.

"Who are you?" Karai demanded. "What do you want?"

The figure didn't answer, but rather lunged for the girl and quickly engaged her in battle. The two of them fought fiercely, fists and feet flying in their close-quarter combat. Karai started to wish she brought a weapon with her just so the battle would end faster. But she continued the fight, not pausing for a moment. Her opponent was light and nimble, moving swiftly and striking hard. There was something oddly familiar about the warrior's fighting style, but Karai couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Finally, Karai lunged with a punch and her opponent grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm behind her back and taking her to the ground. Karai struggled to stand, realizing with a start that her opponent actually laid on top of her to pin her down. Thrashing a bit, Karai growled a bit as she fought to break free.

"You've gotten better, little sister." Karai's opponent said in her ear, making her freeze. "Not quite as good as me, but you've gotten better."

Karai turned her head to lock her golden eyes onto the dark brown eyes of her opponent, those familiar cocoa orbs sparkling with silent laughter. "Kuro?"

The warrior stood up, allowing Karai to rise and turn to face her opponent. The ninja lowered her face mask and hood to reveal Kuro's smiling face. "Hey there, Karai."

Karai didn't know how to react at first, but she suddenly broke into smiles and lunged forward, taking Kuro into a tight hug. "Oh Kuro! You're back! You came back!"

Kuro gladly returned the hug, sighing happily in the embrace. "Hey Karai. I missed you." She squeezed her tighter. "Oh gosh I _really _missed you."

Karai hugged Kuro as tightly as she could, sighing in happiness. "I missed you so much." A giggle escaped her mouth, and she excitedly pulled Kuro towards her room. "Come on! Let's talk! I haven't seen or heard from you in ages!" Kuro laughed as the girls traveled back to Karai's room, slipping through the window and settling on her bed.

Kuro took a look around the simple bedroom. "I see things haven't changed much since I left."

"Well, the fighting's started up again." Karai corrected. "The Kraang and the Foot have returned with their fight against the Turtles."

"Yeah, I heard." Kuro nodded. "That's one of the reasons I came back; thought the Kraang could use an extra dose of beating."

Karai laughed again, sighing. "It's just so good to see you again. Things got pretty boring around here without you." She sat up, looking expectant. "So how was your trip? Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes." Kuro nodded happily. "It was better than I could've imagined. I really discovered a lot about myself."

"That's great." Karai said. "It's great to see you back to your old self, if not better than that."

"And what about you?" Kuro asked. "How have you been?"

The conversation developed from there, with the girls chatting on about how their lives had been. Kuro didn't mention her real parents, but she did tell of her new friends and all the fun things she did in Tokyo. Karai didn't mention anything in relation to the Turtles, not even her plan, but she talked about some of the things she did around New York to amuse herself. According to her, New York became very quiet after the Kraang's first world domination attempt. At they talked, it seemed as though the world around the girls disappeared to nothingness, and it felt like they were young children again. They laughed and smiled as the hours passed, and soon it began to feel as though Kuro never left. Karai could hardly contain her joy of seeing her sister after so long, sometimes thinking back to her lonely days when Kuro wasn't always there to talk with her. But those days seemed almost nonexistent, because now she had the most important person in her life right here with her. Kuro felt happier than she could remember, and she started to realize just how much she missed Karai. While she knew she could talk to her friends or Haiiro, nothing could replace the bond she and Karai shared since they were babies.

Kuro glanced to the window, noticing the sun on the horizon. "I better get going. I have some things to get done tonight."

"Yeah, me too." Karai nodded. "But it was so great talking to you again." The girls stood from Karai's bed and shared a warm embrace before moving to the window.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?" Kuro asked her surrogate sister. "Don't tell anyone that I'm back. Not the Foot Clan, not the Turtles, not even Bradford or Shredder, okay? I'm trying to ease myself into the situation."

"No problem." Karai assured. "You don't have to worry about Shredder, anyway. He's not even here."

Kuro paused. "Really?"

"He left for Japan this morning on 'urgent business.'" She put air quotes around the last two words. "Wouldn't say why."

Kuro stared off in thought. "I see. Well that should make this easier for me. But like I said, don't tell him I'm here."

"Can do." Karai nodded. She hurriedly pulled Kuro into another hug that Kuro returned. "We need to hang out more often now that you're back. Do normal teenage girl stuff."

Kuro pulled away with a warm smile on her lips. "I would like that. You still have my number?"

"You bet!" Karai confirmed.

"And I have yours." Kuro nodded. "We'll keep in tough and find a time to hang out."

"Sounds good." Karai mirrored Kuro's smile as the latter pulled up her face mask and hood, jumping to the window and preparing to leave. "See you around, onēsan."

Kuro looked back to Karai. "See you around…" Miwa. That's what she wanted to say more than anything. But now was not the time. Soon, but not now. "….imōto-chan." She turned to leap off the window, but suddenly paused. "Oh, there's one more thing I need to tell you."

* * *

The Turtles sat in silence as they drove the Shellraiser through the streets of New York, continuing their search for missing mutagen. Raph, doing the driving this time around, glanced briefly back to his eldest brother.

"You're not mad at us, are you, Leo?" Mikey asked, leaning towards the blue-banded turtle and holding up his comic book. "I'll give you Mutant Plus Monsters 23 if you're not mad."

Leo pushed the comic away. "I'm not mad. I just think you guys need to be a little better at following my orders."

"Aww." Raph mocked. "It's too bad I can't play my violin while I drive."

"What's your problem lately, Raph?" Leo huffed. "You still jealous you're not leading the team?"

"I don't know what—" Raph's eyes widened and he suddenly slammed on the brakes, sending everyone lurching forward.

"What the heck, Raph?" Mikey whined.

Raph blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to process what he saw. "Uh, you guys might want to take a look at this." Curious, his brothers came to the front of the Shellraiser and peered at one of the screens. They all blinked in surprise at a figure standing directly in their path. The figure was clad in black, wearing light samurai armor: shin guards, chest plate, arm and shoulder guards, all made of bamboo and some leather. The figure donned a traditional samurai helmet with two ram horns sticking out, one on either side of the head, and the metal mask the figure wore held dragon-like features. Due to the armor, little could be told about the figure based on looks. The Turtles couldn't decide if it was a girl or a boy, if s/he was skinny and lithe or muscular, or even if whoever the figure was carried a weapon.

Raph moved to the top hatch and pushed it open, glaring at the figure. "Hey Einstein! Get outta the road!" He yelped when the figure suddenly threw a silver throwing knife towards him, the blade bouncing off the hatch and falling into the Shellraiser. Mikey lifted up the knife to get a better look at it.

"Looks like one of the Foot's knives." Donnie noted. "You think it's Karai?"

"Karai doesn't wear armor like that." Leo shook his head. "Shredder must've gotten a new friend."

"Uh, guys?" Mikey piped up. He showed his brothers one side of the knife's blade, and the boys realized Shredder's "new friend" carved a message into the blade.

"'Send your leader'." Raph read. "You're up, Leo."

Leo huffed. "Sure. _Now _you acknowledge me as your leader." He exited the Shellraiser and approached the samurai standing in the car's path. He stopped a few feet from the armored warrior, frowning. "Can I help you?"

The samurai stared at him. At least, Leo assumed he did. Not only did the samurai wear the dragon mask, but the eyeholes were filled with black cloth to keep the eyes hidden. Suddenly, the samurai lunged and slammed an elbow into Leo's plastron, sending the Turtle to the ground. He quickly stood up, glaring at his opponent and blinking in surprise when he realized the samurai stole one of his katana. Drawing his second one, Leo prepared himself for the duel. The samurai raised the katana he stole, lunging forward and quickly engaging Leo in a fight.

"You think we should help him?" Mikey asked.

"Eh, let Leo do it on his own." Raph shrugged. "He was the one called out, not us."

"I don't think we can help him even if we wanted to!" Donnie yelped, pulling on the door to the Shellraiser. "The doors won't open!"

"What?!" Raph and Mikey yelped, hurrying to the other doors. But it seemed all of them were either locked or shut. Before Raph could get to the hatch, the samurai suddenly jumped onto the roof of the Shellraiser and slammed the hatch down, keeping it shut with another kunai. Then the samurai resumed his battle with Leo. The blue-banded Turtle could easily keep his defenses up, but the samurai's constant and swift attacks reduced the Turtle to only defending. It was bad enough this samurai looked like something out of a nightmare, but then Leo had to deal with the warrior's exceptional fighting skills. He swung his sword towards the samurai's head, but his opponent leaned back and easily dodged it. The samurai stabbed the katana numerous times, but Leo managed to knock aside each jab. But he was so focused on the samurai's blade he was completely caught off-guard when his opponent crouched to the ground and swept his legs out from under him. The samurai put a foot to Leo's plastron, putting the tip of the sword he held between Leo's eyes. Leo stared up at the samurai, his heart pounding in his chest and faintly hearing is brothers slamming on the Shellraiser trying to get out.

Then, the samurai raised the sword and tossed it aside. The armored warrior took off down the street, disappearing into a nearby alleyway. Leo panted a little, staring after the warrior for a moment before scooping up his swords and returning to his brothers. Approaching the door, he realized the samurai somehow found time to stick a silver kunai into the doors and lock them shut. Wrenching the knife free, he entered the Shellraiser and was greeted by a warm hug from Mikey.

"Man we're glad to see you all right!" Mikey sighed.

Leo smirked and rubbed his brother's head affectionately. "Thanks, but let's stay focused. We still have to find those mutagen canisters." The Turtles took their spots in the Shellraiser and Raph began driving again.

"Who _was _that guy?" Donnie asked.

"A samurai with the added skills of a ninja." Leo replied, staring at the silver kunai left in the Shellraiser. _Send your leader. Is this a test? Was it to see if I'm a good leader or not? _"It could only be the Foot Clan. But we have no way of knowing who. Let's just stay on our guard and we'll be sure to stay together should that guy come back."

"Stop the Shellraiser!" Donnie announced suddenly. "Scanner's picked up another mutagen canister." Raph suddenly slammed on the brakes (again, with more intent), sending everyone to the ground. Groaning in exasperation and pain, the Turtles filed outside and followed Donnie into an abandoned warehouse. "We're close, guys. Signal's coming from the basement."

"Okay, let's not make any sudden moves before I give the—" Leo paused at the sound of clattering metal, and he looked down to see his brothers disappeared while he talked. He sighed. "—orders."

Donnie continued to lead the way as the Turtles traveled through the basement, the purple-banded turtle's eyes locked on his scanner. They came to a large room, an elevator nearby and several piles of crates littering the area.

Mikey looked around the corner and spied something glowing. "Oh yeah! Found it! Go ninja go ninja go ninja go!" He hurried over to the canister, his brothers close behind.

Leo noticed the canister seemed to lying in a very open space in the room, and then he spied something else. "Don't!"

Too late. Mikey pulled on the canister and activated the trip wire attached to it, causing the doors to slam all around them and lock the warriors in the room.

"See?" Leo snapped. "If you would listen to me—"

"Easier than I thought."

The Turtles spun around to a familiar figure standing on some nearby crates. "Karai." Leo gasped.

"Long time, eh Leo?" Karai taunted, sword out and ready.

The Turtles quickly prepared their weapons just as they become surrounded by Foot Soldiers. "Your lady friend is getting _really _good at setting ambushes!" Donnie complained to Leo.

"Ha!" Raph scoffed. "They're just Foot Soldiers. Won't even break a sweat." He lunged into battle, followed closely by his brothers. Raph lunged for a few of them, easily knocking them to the ground. But as he did, he noticed the Foot Soldiers rising again in a matter of seconds, something he couldn't remember them ever doing. Was it just him, or were their eyes glowing and did they make strange sounds? But he shook it off as one of the ninjas lunged and swung his sword, the strike blocked easily. But when he moved to block another strike, he left and opening and was kicked aside. Donnie tried to smack the ninja he fought aside, but the soldier moved skillfully to dodge his attacks until Raph suddenly plowed the tallest turtle to the floor.

Mikey gave a cry of effort and whack a Foot Ninja in the head, only to hear a dull _clang_. "They armored up or something?"

Leo pushed the ninja he fought aside and turned to bring his sword down on one coming up behind him. But the Foot Soldier suddenly caught his blade and punched it, breaking the length of steel. Leo grunted in pain as the Foot Ninja kicked him aside. The four Turtles regrouped, staring at their opponents and wondering how they could be so much stronger now. _These can't be normal Foot Soldiers. _Leo thought. _We gotta regroup and rethink this plan. _He glanced behind him to the elevator across the room.

"Everybody fall back!" Leo ordered.

"What?!" Raph snapped. "We're running away?"

"It's not running, it's a tactful retreat! Move!" Leo corrected, hurrying towards the elevator.

"I don't care what Leo says. I don't run from the Foot." Raph lunged into the fight, but the Foot Ninjas mercilessly and effortlessly beat him back to his brothers.

"This way!" Leo urged, wrenching open the doors to the elevator. This time his brothers obeyed without question, sprinting to the elevator with the Foot Ninjas close behind. At Leo's urging, the four turtle brothers began scaling the walls and climbing up the cables, desperate to escape their pursuers.

Mikey yelped when one of the Foot Soldiers grabbed his foot. "Get off of me you bug-eyed creep!"

Narrowing his eyes, Leo back flipped off the wall and kicked the Foot Ninja off his brother, catching the old elevator cables to stop him from falling to the ground. Looking down, the Turtles saw the Foot Ninja's head pop off and give off sparks, making strange sounds.

"Those guys are robots?" Donnie breathed.

Leo glared. _So that's what it was. _"Move your shell, Donnie! Go!" The four of them continued to climb, hurrying to the higher floors. Raph found light and another gate, pulling it open and hauling himself to solid ground. He reached down and pulled up Donnie, then Mikey, and prepared to pull Leo up when he saw his eldest brother fighting to get a Foot Soldier robot off his leg.

"Hurry, Leo!" Raph urged, reaching an arm down. Leo struggled to get the enemy ninja off him, reaching a free arm up to take Raph's hand. But soon more Foot Soldiers began climbing on top of him, weighing the Turtle down. Leo fought as hard as he could, reaching as far as his arm would got and then some. But his fingertips barely brushed Raph's when he felt himself losing his grip and lowered his free arm to better hold himself.

"Leo!" Raph shouted.

The cable Leo held onto began creaking from the stress of so much weight, and suddenly it snapped. Leo shouted in surprise and terror as he fell into the darkness, the Foot Soldiers going with him.

"_Leo!" _his brothers shouted.

* * *

Kuro learned a lot about the sewer systems in the time she spent with the Turtles. One of those things she learned was which tunnels rested the closest to the lair, and how easily some of those tunnel walls could be carved out.

Now if only she could do something about that smell.

Wrinkling her nose, Kuro forced herself to continue crawling through the small tunnel she crouched in. "This had better be worth it." she muttered to herself. "Crawling through the sewers is not my idea of a fun night." Still, she knew this was something that needed to be done. Even if she was still easing herself into the situation, she wouldn't pass up on opportunities to pound on the Kraang. In order to do that, she would need the proper weapon. Discovering the right spot, she felt around the wall of the tunnel before finding what looked like a small scratch in the metal. She pulled a Swiss Army knife from her pocket and produced the blade from it, sticking the blade into the slit and pushing it through. She gave it a quarter turn to the right, sliding the hidden door open before putting her knife back into her pocket and crawling through the new passageway. It took only a few more minutes of crawling before she reached the door at the end, pausing and listening. When she heard nothing, she pushed the door out and up to open it, propping it open with the stick attached and pulling herself into the room. Flipping over and landing softly on the ground, Kuro smiled and looked around to see her old room back in the lair.

"I'm back." She whispered softly, standing up. Her room looked exactly the way she left it, with everything in the exact same place as it was when she departed so long ago. But as she moved about the room, she discovered there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. Panicking slightly, she hurried to her small bookshelf and pulled down a seemingly random book. Kuro opened the book to a page marked inside by a folded piece of paper, doing the same to several other books in random locations around her shelf. She sighed in relief to see the documents she stole from Shredder still in the same place. She put the books back and looked around, amazed to see her bed neatly made and her room perfectly clean. But everything was still in its place.

It clicked in Kuro's head. "Mikey…."

It had to be the youngest Turtle's work. As messy as he was, whenever he cleaned or organized something he was very thorough about it. Only he would think to keep Kuro's room clean while she was gone, and he respected her privacy so much that he placed everything exactly back where he found it once he finished cleaning. It warmed Kuro's heart, yet she forced herself to think about her task. But she paused at hearing voices, and she pressed herself against the section of the wall closest to the door to listen.

"We didn't follow his lead." Donnie's voice said.

"How are we going to explain this to Master Splinter?" Mikey's voice sighed.

"Explain what to me, Michelangelo?" Splinter's voice came next. By the sound of the pause, it would appear the Turtles didn't see nor hear him coming.

"It's Leo, Sensei." Raph's voice said. "Karai…captured him."

Kuro gasped softly. _Karai…what are you doing?_

"Come to what, Sensei?" Kuro jumped a little at Donnie's voice, realizing she missed a part of the conversation.

"Karai wants to take revenge." Splinter's voice explained. "She believes that I took one of her loved ones away from her."

"But it's not true, right?" Mikey's voice asked.

Splinter paused. "It is very much the opposite of what she thinks. Find Leonardo. That is what is important right now. Rescue your brother."

Kuro stared at the ground. _So they don't know the truth about Karai just yet. Good. It should stay that way for now. _She moved to her black blade katana, resting in its sheath next to her bed, and quietly lifted the blade from the ground. Fully utilizing her ninja skills, she slipped through the hidden door and shut it behind her as she escaped into the sewers, running off and away from the lair. _I wonder…..should I go after Leo and try to help him? No, leave that to his brothers. Besides, those guys can take care of themselves. They're not ready to know I'm back. Nor am I ready to let them know I'm here. They'll be fine. They're great ninja warriors and they can take care of themselves._

_I hope._

* * *

Once Donnie was able to hack into security footage from around town, the remaining Turtles could identify Karai's van and Mikey realized they headed for Bradford's old dojo. Raph half-led the charge, determined to save Leo by fighting the way he wanted his brothers to fight. The three of them took off into the night, arriving at Bradford's old dojo within minutes.

"We can't sneak in. Security camera." Donnie pointed to said camera resting near the skylight window.

"No sweat, I got this." Raph seemed to reach into his belt and, though neither Mikey nor Donnie could tell how, produced a pigeon resting on his hand.

"It's not just one." Donnie protested. "The entire roof is racketed by surveillance." Raph didn't answer, petting the bird he held in a certain pattern as though sending a message in Morse code. The bird took off, circling around and resting on the skylight. It cooed out into the night, and soon an entire flock arrived at the scene. The pigeons took their spots amongst the cameras, giving the Turtles the cover they needed to sneak inside. The three ninjas crept along the rafters in the dojo, keeping an eye and ear out for any enemies. They soon discovered Leo, tied up and gagged and surrounded by three Foot Soldiers standing guard.

Leo stared at the ground, his mind racing with ideas on how to get out of there, when shadows crossed his face. Looking up, he stared in horror at his brothers. He gave muffled shouts, trying to warn them, but of course it's hard to get anything out with duct tape over one's mouth. His brothers each landed on a Foot Soldier to take them down, quickly moving over to him no matter how much he tried to speak.

"We can't understand what you're trying to say, Leo!" Donnie said, taking the tape from Leo's mouth.

"It's a trap!" Leo shouted, just as the room became filled with more Foot Soldiers. The rice paper doors opened behind the Turtles, revealing Karai standing on the desk in the next room.

"Nice, Leo!" Mikey complained. "You could've said something!"

Karai smirked triumphantly. Raph wouldn't be deterred as he cut Leo free. "You got two choices, sweetheart: let us go, or walk away from this inside a sandwich bag."

Karai looked more amused than threatened. "Sorry, Raphael. Can't let you go." She jumped down from the desk to sit in the chair, resting her elbows on the desk casually as though in a business meeting. "It's not really that personal with the rest of you Turtles. I just need you for bait."

"She wants Splinter." Leo clarified.

"Your sensei will eventually track you here." Karai explained. "And when he shows up, Splinter will know what it's like to truly suffer." She gave the signal to the Foot Soldiers. "Restrain them."

The Turtles quickly leaped into battle, fighting off any Foot Soldier that came near them. Only now, they knew these were robots like the Kraang and could full-on tear them apart. "Let's smash some robots!" Raph whooped.

"They're only a thousand times better at fighting than regular Foot." Donnie growled, swinging his staff and knocking the robots aside. But one robot managed to block his staff and beat him to the ground. Mikey came up from behind, but when he tried swinging his nunchaku towards a Foot Bot it caught his arm. Leo and Raph came in, tackling the robots aside and leaving Mikey standing there with a robot arm attached to his wrist. But no matter how hard the Turtles fought and how many robots they took down, more would take their place and adapted to their moves.

Karai sat casually at the desk, watching the show. "My Foot Bots know every move, every skill, every attack."

Mikey, Donnie, and Raph suddenly hit the ground hard. "We're out of real estate!" Donnie whimpered at the sight of the wall so close to them.

Leo jumped between his brothers at the robots. "If I order you to run away, would you guys listen this time?"

"Heck yea!" Mikey agreed. "And we can still call it a tactical retreat if you want!" He, Raph, and Donnie leaped up to the rafters and out the skylight, Leo following close behind.

Karai wasn't relaxing anymore, glaring after the Turtles. "Foot Bots! Don't let them escape!"

The Turtles ran as fast as they could across the rooftops, desperate to get away. But they could hear the robotic sounds of the Foot Bots following them. "All our moves are useless!" Raph groaned.

"They know every move I can make." Leo muttered. "Every fighting style, every skill, every—" He paused. "Wait a sec." He continued to lead his brothers away from the Foot Bots, but his mind raced with a new idea. _They know conventional and traditional martial arts practices. Even if we didn't think while we did it, they'd still be able to predict our moves. But if we didn't go traditional… _"Remember King of the Mountain?" Leo called to his brothers as they leaped down to a park-like area in an old lot.

"Yeah, sure." Raph said.

"What about it?" Mikey added.

The ninjas bounced off a swing set and hit the ground, splitting off in all different directions. The Foot Bots followed, but paused as though determining which robots would follow which Turtles. Leo suddenly let out a few whoops, throwing one of his katana up in the air. While the Foot Bots followed the flight path of the first katana, Leo threw his second one and it pierced a robot's head, destroying it. Leo caught his first katana and prepared himself as the Foot Bots lunged for him.

"Oh, I get what you're saying!" Donnie realized. "Be unpredictable! Do our thing!" He took off as some of the Foot Bots gave a chase, and he smirked as he produced several shuriken and kunai from his belt. Analyzing the area around him, Donnie ran some quick calculations in his head and then threw the shuriken and kunai. The bladed instruments bounced off the dumpster, basketball hoop, walls, and the ground several times before hitting the Foot Bots and rendering them useless. "Ha! Didn't see that coming, did ya?"

Mikey whooped and laughed as he swung around on the swing set, mentally playing his music in his head as he whacked Foot Bots aside with ease. Raph charged head-on at some oncoming Foot Bots, growling in effort as he drove his sai blades into two of the ninja robots and then grabbed the third and smashed it against the wall. Leo jumped to the rooftops, easily slicing through Foot Bots until Raph came up and threw the last Foot Bot off the roof and to the ground.

"I never had so much fun following your orders." Raph smirked.

"We're even." Leo smirked back. "I've never had so much fun giving them!" Raph jumped down towards some oncoming Foot Bots, sending them all to the ground. Leo made to jump after him when a shout of effort rang out, and he raised his swords to block a strike from Karai. Leo moved nimbly, avoiding Karai's attacks with little difficulty as the two of them bounced around the rooftop.

"You might as well give up now!" Karai snapped, still advancing. "The more you fight those Foot Bots, the more they adapt!" She sounded more angry if not desperate now, and Leo could tell.

"Your robots may know my moves, but you don't!" Leo suddenly threw his katana towards Karai, causing her to jump and use her sword to knock it aside.

"Fool!" Karai sounded almost like she scolded Leo now. "A ninja never throws away their weapon."

Leo jumped up towards his spinning katana, catching it in both hands. "That's the point!" He brought the blade down, this time forcing Karai to jump back, and the two of them locked blades. Karai could feel her cloth shoes slipping on the smooth stone, threatening to send her over the edge, but she smirked and suddenly pushed herself back to jump over. Leo was quick to follow, their battle taking them to the Dragon Gate. They continued to fight, their grunts of effort becoming raspy as the fatigue began to set it.

"Think you've won?" Karai scoffed. She jabbed her blade forward, almost stabbing Leo's head, and then revealed her tekagi-shuko blades and sliced them. Though Leo was able to block the small claws, he couldn't stop Karai from leaping over his head and swiping at his feet, sending him tumbling. He barely managed to catch the edge of the gate and prevent falling and breaking his neck. Karai produced two shuriken from her belt. "Fall!" She threw the bladed weapons, causing Leo to let go to avoid getting his fingers cut off. But when Karai slid down to the edge, she blinked in surprise to see Leo nowhere in sight. Directly underneath her, Leo managed to stab his blade into the underside of the roof and save himself. With a heave and a cry of effort, he threw himself onto the roof and kicked Karai off, sending her to the ground. She tried to catch a cable but still slipped and landed hard on the asphalt, grunting in pain and unable to stand.

Leo leaped down and landed in front of her, his dark cerulean eyes locking with her golden ones. Though he panted, his voice was strong. "Shredder is _lying _to you. Splinter would never hurt an innocent." Karai stared at him, as though surprised but also confused. She still held a small glare, so Leo matched it with a fiercer one as he lowered his blade. "Your grudge is with me. Stay away from my brothers and my sensei. Understood?" Karai only stared at him, and he sheathed his katana and turned to leap up onto the fire escape of a nearby building. He cast one final look to his supposed enemy. "Believe me, Karai." That was all he said as he disappeared to return to his brothers.

Karai stared after him, a range of emotions swirling in her chest.

* * *

"Um, Leo?!" Donnie cried. "The robots have learned our moves!"

"Our crazy has become normal!" Mikey emphasized. "I hate that." He and Donnie darted away as the Foot Bots chased them, truly mimicking the crazy moves of the Turtles. They and Raph hurried across the cables leading away from Dragon Gate, giving Leo the chance to cut the ropes and stop the Foot Bots from chasing them. The four Turtles hurried off, Mikey throwing an egg smoke bomb and allowing them to disappear in a puff of smoke.

They reached the lair without any more problems, winding down with a couple rounds of pinball. They laughed and joked, as brothers do, and soon it became as though they never fought in the first place.

"See that? New high score, dudes!" Mikey cheered.

"Leo, you wanna play next?" Donnie offered.

"Nah, go ahead guys." Leo shrugged as he and Raph walked off. "I'm cool." Donnie and Mikey shrugged as they resumed playing.

Once they were a safe distance away, Raph turned to Leo, staring at him intently. Then he wrapped his older brother in a headlock, much to Leo's disgruntlement. "It's good to have you back, Leo." Leo paused in his struggles and looked up to Raph, who hardly looked at him. "I mean it, brother."

Leo smiled warmly. _Even after all the fights we go through, after everything we argue about, it's hard to deny that Raph's a great brother. _"Thanks, Raph." The two of them fist-bumped, but Leo's attention was more drawn to his next task at hand. He excused himself and walked off to the dojo, quietly entering to discover Splinter meditating beneath the tree. Though mentally kicking himself for bothering Sensei like this, Leo had to know once and for all the truth. So he came in to sit a few feet from his rat master and father.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Master Splinter." Leo said. "I need to ask you some questions….about Karai."

Splinter stood and began walking to his room. "It is late, Leonardo. These questions will have to wait for another time."

Leo knew he couldn't wait, and he stood up quickly. "She said you took her mother away from her. I know it's not true…right?" Even with everything Leo knew about Splinter, there were many things he didn't know. Could it be possible that Splinter actually did something horrible like kill someone else's mother, even on accident?

"No." Splinter said, breaking Leo from his thoughts. "It is not true. But the truth is…..almost less difficult."

Leo wouldn't be deterred. "Please, Sensei. Tell me. Trust me."

Splinter didn't move for a moment, but then finally turned to Leo. _He should know. Out of everyone else, he most deserves to know what I and Kuro know. _"Karai…is my daughter."

* * *

"I just don't get it. Why would Shredder be going back to Japan if his vendetta is here with the Turtles and Splinter?" Kuro murmured, pacing back and forth across the ground like she had been for the past several minutes. Haiiro sat near the tent, bathing herself by the campfire as the two of them camped out in a forested area outside of town to avoid getting caught by the Turtles, Foot, or Kraang. Kuro couldn't sit still after returning from retrieving her sword, Karai's words echoing in her head. "I mean, what's in Japan that Shredder would need or want? Why would he return? And now?" She looked to Haiiro. "I don't suppose you have any idea?"

The feline, who had been bathing herself, looked up and meowed.

"You know, my mental abilities do not allow me to read minds." Kuro huffed. "Yet I can sense you're trying to tell me what to do. What I'd give to speak cat." She resumed her pacing, her mind wandering. "Think, Kuro, think. What's in Japan that's so important Shredder had to drop everything and leave? What's so important _to _Shredder that—" She paused, her eyes widening. "Oh no. It's _me._" She whipped around to stare at Haiiro, her heart racing. "It's me, Haiiro! He must be going back to Japan to get me; to bring me back to New York or even just to find me!" She hit her head, pulling at her hair. "Oh I'm such an idiot! This is what I get for letting myself go on a guilt trip and getting myself all wrapped up in this nonsense! I should've stayed in Japan where I belong. That was always the right decision, but I didn't stick with it because I'm a total idiot!" She paused in her rant and hurried towards the tent. "I have to go back. I have to get back there and find him before he finds my parents!"

Haiiro suddenly leaped up, putting herself between the tent and Kuro. The teenager tried to step around and even over the feline, but Haiiro suddenly latched her claws into Kuro's leg and she jumped back with a pained yelp. Haiiro yowled a few times.

"What is wrong with you?" Kuro snapped. "I don't care if my parents can handle themselves. I don't think Shredder would hurt them, at least I hope not. But if he really is going to Japan because of me then I have to meet him there!"

"Merow!" Haiiro yowled.

"No, I'm not going back because I want to see Shredder!" Kuro snapped. "Even if he did….." She groaned. "Listen to me. Talking to a cat like I can understand her and she can understand me."

Haiiro gave a low meow/growl.

"Okay smarty kitty." Kuro crossed her arms. "If you can understand me, answer me this: why should I stay here in New York?"

Haiiro looked towards the nearby creek, and when Kuro followed her gaze she spotted a pair of turtles looking for food in the sand. Kuro's anger spiraled away like water slipping through a funnel, and she sighed heavily. The Japanese teen lowered herself to the grass and laid back, staring at the starry skies. Haiiro trotted over to Kuro and settled on the girl's stomach, meowing softly. Kuro stroked the cat's smoky gray fur, sighing.

"They need me. I know they need me." Kuro said, to herself and to Haiiro. "Dad was right; they need all the help they can get to defeat the Kraang. But I made a promise to Karai, remember? I'm not about to break it." She sat up, still stroking Haiiro. "I don't really know why Shredder returned to Japan, whether it's for me or for whatever reason. But I can't let Dad be blindsided should Shredder go near the house." She stood and gently placed her cat on the ground. "Haiiro, stay here. I have to get closer to the city to get within Wi-Fi range."

With that, she took off towards New York City, leaving Haiiro to stare after her with a proud gaze.

* * *

**A/N: To Erica phoenix 16, I did think about what would happen if Kuro ran into Shredder while in Japan. But with how the story plays out, that didn't quite work. But rest assured, there will be plenty of tension between him and Kuro when he gets back.**

**Hope you guys are enjoying this!**


	4. Mutagen Man Unleashed

**Episode 4: Mutagen Man Unleashed**

After the final episode of _Space Heroes, _the Turtles found there wasn't much else to watch. Leo watched reruns of his favorite show, but soon became bored with it as their hunt for the mutagen canisters continued. So when Donnie, Leo, and Raph noticed Mikey's eyes glued to the TV, their curiosity forced them to walk over and see what could've caught the youngest ninja's short attention span. They soon discovered it was some sort of anime show, though the English dubbing wasn't the best.

"What the heck is this nonsense?" Raph demanded. "It's terrible."

"Terribly awesome!" Mikey corrected. "I found these old tapes in a dumpster." He showed them the crate of said tapes, the box about half full of them.

"Tapes?" Raph scoffed.

"Check it out!" Mikey gushed excitedly.

"Dude, this is awful." Leo huffed with a smirk. "And you guys complained about _Space Heroes_."

"Their lips don't even match what they're saying!" Raph added. "I could _never _watch a show this bad."

Not five minutes later, the rest of the Turtles were hooked as they stared at the screen in awe. Mikey smirked knowingly, feeling a sense of victory over his brothers.

"So she's the princess of an entire planet?" Raph asked, referring to the only female protagonist in the show. "Cool!"

"Yep, and she also pilots the robot's left leg." Mikey added. "She rules! But that scientist dude _made _the robot."

"The story has such an intricate, layered plot." Donnie breathed, smiling. "Four stars!" The Turtles continued to watch as the scientist character approached the princess.

"_P-P-Princess, I'd like to invite you for space dinner if you please. Yes?" _the bespectacled hero asked.

"_What?" _the princess scoffed. _"I, date a weakling like you? Not for 10,000 Zarkon crystals!"_

Leo, Mikey, and Raph laughed out loud, and Donnie's face fell. "Donnie, that is so you and April dude!"

Donnie frowned. "It is not! Meh, this show is lame anyway. The plot makes zero sense!" He stood and marched off. "I'll be in the lab." He disappeared into said room, sighing. Looking around, he caught sight of the numerous pictures lining the wall. His eyes skimmed over each photo until he caught sight of one showing him and April, hanging out at the park like a couple of normal teenagers would. Donnie lifted the picture in his hands and stared at it. "What am I to April anyway? I'm worse than a nerd. I'm a freak! We're all total and complete frea—" He paused and turned to Timothy, still stuck in his jar of goo and organs. He put a hand to the glass. "Sorry Timothy." The mutant boy licked the glass where Donnie's hand rested, a sad look coming to his eyes. Donnie tossed in some flakes of food for the mutant boy as he sat at his desk, still staring at April's photo but continuing to speak with Timothy. "Doesn't matter anyway. April blames us for her dad's mutation." He gathered some mutagen and some of his testing samples, sitting down to work. "I have to find an antidote…a retro-mutagen. And pretty soon you won't have to be a barely sentient glob of intestinal goo any longer."

Unbeknownst to Donatello, Timothy's mouth and thin esophagus managed to push its way out of the container, snaking towards the turtle as he worked. Timothy remained quiet, praying he wouldn't be caught.

"Now, let's see." Donnie dropped some liquid into the mutagen, which instantly froze solid and exploded. "Frozen?! Oh great! Another batch lost. I swear, if it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna find a cure! And win April back." He marched off, to cool down and gather more supplies, leaving Timothy alone.

The mutant boy's mouth slithered to the leftover mutagen on the desk, pushing into the container and slurping up the liquid as though it were a milkshake. Though Timothy wasn't sure he liked the taste of the mutagen, he was happy to feel new power surging within him.

* * *

April sighed, opening her locker and gathering her books. "This is it, April. A new start. Just pretend you're a normal girl. Don't talk about alien-robots or mutant dads. And don't even think about turtles—whoa!" She yelped as something hit her feet and sent her to the ground. Groaning, she looked over to see a hockey puck spinning beside her head. "Are you serious?"

"Nice job stopping my puck like that. You got some moves, Red." A boy said as he walked by, guiding the puck back to him with his hockey stick. Standing, April managed to finally get a good look at the boy: ratty jeans, black sneakers, long maroon sleeves under grungy a gray T-shirt, a torn sweatshirt over the top, all of it covered in flecks of what looked like paint. He wore a black and white bandana over his messy black hair, and his warm cocoa eyes matched the snarky smirk on his lips.

"Um, you could start with 'sorry.'" April huffed.

"Sorry you got in the way." The boy laughed, still pushing the puck around as he walked. As he talked, April could see he seemed to be missing a few teeth, while the rest of them looked chipped. "What were you doing blocking the hallway like that anyway?"

April glared. "Blocking the…" She scoffed. "Exactly who do you think you are?"

"You signed up for extra cred, right?" The boy asked, approaching April and leaning on his hockey stick. "Well, rejoice, 'cause I'm the guy you're gonna tutor."

April groaned. "Great."

The boy put on a serious look. "Look, if I don't pass trig, they'll kick me off the hockey team. Nobody else wants to tutor me." He smirked cockily again. "They're all intimidated by my supreme awesomeness."

April still glared. When her teacher said extra credit meant being a tutor, this is not what she had in mind. "So, this is you asking me for help? Charming." The boy leaned in closer to her, that irritating smirk still plastered on his lips. April kept glaring, hugging her advanced trigonometry book to her chest. The bell rang, indicating it was almost time for class. April knew she could use the extra credit in her trig class, and she thought being a tutor would help her as much as it helped another. But to help this boy? This arrogant, lazy, stupid boy?

What choice did she have?

April looked down, then back up again to the boy. His smile didn't seem so cocky now; more like hopeful. She finally gave in with a sigh. "Fine. Meet me at the park at 7. Don't be late."

The boy's smile went cocky again as he stepped back. "It's a date, then. Nice." Before April could protest, the boy suddenly whacked the hockey puck as hard as he could, sending it flying and hitting a nearby water fountain before ricocheting off and hitting another student in the face. The boy shrugged and began walking off.

_Oh brother. _April stared after the boy. "So, what's your name anyway?"

The boy paused and turned with a toothy (or lack thereof) smile. "Casey Jones."

* * *

April wasn't exactly excited for school to be over. She dreaded every hour that passed, because each hour gone was another hour closer to her study session with Casey. Irma wished her the best of luck, but unfortunately couldn't help her redheaded friend because she had to study for an exam. April thanked her friend before walking off to go home, mentally preparing herself for a long night. She sighed heavily.

"Long day, huh?"

April jumped and spun around, but saw no one looking towards her.

"Up here."

Warily, April's eyes traveled the fire escape above her. But when she saw who crouched in the metalwork, she smiled broadly. "Kuro!"

The Japanese teen laughed as she jumped down, landing cat-like on the ground before standing just in time for April to run into her arms. The girls laughed as they hugged tightly, not letting go for several seconds. "Hey April. Nice to see you again."

April laughed as she pulled away. "It's so good to see you too. You're looking great!"

Kuro looked down to her simple outfit of jeans, boots, a T-shirt, and jacket. "I guess. You look the same as when I left."

April tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess. How have you been?"

"Really great." Kuro said happily. "Being with my parents and living in Japan has been so amazing."

April's smile faltered a little. "So, what are you doing back here? We—I thought you'd never come back."

"I heard the Kraang were back." Kuro shrugged. "I was visiting the area anyway, so I thought I'd lay a little alien smack down on them." April looked down, and Kuro frowned worriedly. "You okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." April huffed angrily.

Kuro's frown took on a bit of sternness along with her worry. "April. Tell me the truth."

April stared at Kuro for a moment before finally giving in, the two of them sitting at a café while April told Kuro what happened with the mutagen canisters and her father's mutation. Kuro listened carefully, mentally cursing the bad luck and the new dangers of several mutagen canisters on the loose.

"I haven't seen the Turtles since." April glared at the ground. "I can never forgive them for what happened."

"Well that's not a great reason to be mad at them." Kuro said.

April looked up in shock. "What?"

"I mean, sure I would be mad but I wouldn't shut them completely out of my life for just an accident." Kuro shrugged.

"They caused my father's mutation!" April hissed, making sure nobody else heard them.

"Based on what you told me, your father was mutated because he was saving _you _from being mutated." Kuro corrected. "If he hadn't pushed you out of the way, you could've become the freaky mutant bat and not him."

"But if the guys hadn't caused that mutagen—"

"I'm sure whatever happened on that ship wasn't their fault!"

"How can you know that?"

"Because I know the guys. They wouldn't do something so stupid."

"Did they tell you that?"

"No. I haven't spoken to them."

April paused, shocked and even angrier. "Wait, you've been here for over a week and you haven't even gone to them yet?"

"Not once." Kuro shook her head. "Nor do I plan to see them at all while I'm here."

"And you're criticizing _me _for my grudge?" April scoffed. "Why won't you go see them?"

Kuro looked down. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Kuro, do you have any idea how much pain you caused when you left?" April demanded. "We all missed you so much; you left without saying 'goodbye'! Do you realized that you broke Mikey's heart by doing that?"

"Mikey has always accepted my choices." Kuro huffed. "The way I see it, I've helped him learn how to deal with his first experience in the world's cruelty."

April could hear something in Kuro's tone; almost like she tried to convince herself along with April. But that didn't stop the redhead's utter shock and anger. "Are you serious? _Are you serious?! _Did you ever even care about Mikey?"

"I did." Kuro nodded. _And I still do._

"So what's the point of coming to New York if you're not going to see them again?" April demanded. "Isn't that the original reason you came back?"

Kuro blinked. "Of course not."

April stared, unable to register what Kuro said for a moment. "What?"

"My intentions in coming to New York did not involve reuniting with the Turtles or Splinter or anyone in the Lotus Clan." Kuro said, complete seriousness in her voice. "I never planned to see them and I will not see them at all while I'm here."

"So why return?" April demanded.

"You don't need to know." Kuro said, glaring now at the redhead. She stood from the table. "I think I should get going. This meeting did not turn out like I thought it would." She turned and began walking off. "Bye April."

April suddenly stood. "I'll tell them! I may hate the guys now but I'll tell them that you're back!"

In a flash, April suddenly found Kuro's face mere inches in front of her own, and suddenly the raven-haired teen slammed the redheaded teen onto the table, pinning her to the metal surface. Crystal blue eyes locked onto dark brown ones, the girls glaring at each other.

"You're _not _going to do that." Kuro growled. "Because if you do, you're going to regret it." She forcefully pulled April to her feet, the two of them still glaring. "I'm only going to warn you once, because I'm hoping you are still my friend: you will _not _tell anyone I'm back. I won't be here long anyway." With that, Kuro turned on her heel and marched off, leaving April to glare after her.

"Kuro…" April sighed, feeling sadness creep into her formerly angry mood. "What happened to you?"

* * *

"Bo-bo-bo-booyakasha!" Mikey whooped as he skateboarded across the rooftops. But he suddenly paused at a wonderful sight before him: a single piece of pizza resting in a box on the ledge near him. He looked around. "Hello? This slice belong to anyone, huh?" No response. "Ha! Then it's all mine!" He rolled over to the pizza, licking his lips in anticipation. But he paused, feeling like he was being watched, and turned to see if anyone was there. But the rooftop seemed deserted. Warily, Mikey raised the pizza to his mouth to eat as he continued to look around, determined to not get caught—

Out of nowhere, Leo swiped his legs from under him and sent the smaller turtle sprawling on the ground. "Ow! What the heck was that?"

Leo smirked as he ate the pizza. "That was a stealth attack! And that is what we're practicing in today's training session." He helped Mikey rise as Raph and Donnie revealed themselves.

"No fair!" Mikey whined. "I couldn't see you coming!"

"That's why they call it 'stealth,' genius!" Raph snapped.

"Why would you eat random pizza you found on a roof anyway?" Donnie asked from his perch on a small water tower nearby.

"Roof pizza is like one of my ten favorite kinds of pizza!" Mikey shrugged.

"Okay guys, listen up!" Leo called. "The two keys to stealth: misdirection and camouflage. Got it? Raph and Mikey, you guys are up."

"Eh, I don't wanna do this anymore. Do you, Raph?" Mikey complained. But he blinked and suddenly his brothers disappeared. "Raph?" His skateboard rolled over to him, and he leaned down to pick it up only for Raph to appear from behind and grab him.

"Shell wedgie!" Raph laughed as he shook his younger brother.

Mikey shouted in protest. "No fair! Stealth attacks are lame!"

Donnie watched from his perch, his mind wandering to other things. Jumping down and walking off, he resolved to get alone time and clear his head before resuming their training/patrolling. But his thoughts stayed on April, and his feet unconsciously took him to the nearby park. "April's always studying in the park around this time. Would it seem weird for me to just show up?" At the sound of creaking, he jumped and ducked down behind the edge of the building. Looking down again, he saw April sitting on the swing set with a boy rocking himself forward and backward beside her.

"Okay. Show me how you solve for 'x.'" April instructed.

Casey stared at the sky. "You just….dig, right? 'Cause 'X' marks the spot."

April grabbed the swing's rope to stop the boy, holding up her trig book. "Have you ever opened this book?" At Casey's sheepish smile, April simply threw the book to the ground and sat back on the swing, glaring at the ground.

Casey sat up. "School isn't really my thing. When I graduate, I'm becoming either a pro hockey player or an international bounty hunter."

"Those are quite the options." April sighed.

"Who wants a normal life anyway, right?" Casey smiled to the redhead. But he paused when he noticed her closing her eyes, as though suppressing memories. This confused the poor boy, as he never knew that the one thing April wanted most was a normal life. Since leaving the Turtles, she began to envy Kuro for being lucky enough to be able to run away from it all.

_So why come back? _April thought, thinking back to her argument with the Japanese teen.

"Hold still, Red." Casey said, reaching out to April. "You got a smudge on your face."

April reeled back a bit; not that Donnie noticed. All he could see was this boy reaching out and touching April's face. "She's on a….date? I can't believe it! With some punk human kid! What are they saying? Whoa!" He yelped as he leaned too far off the edge and suddenly fell, right into a dumpster. "Man. This…..stinks."

Donnie found he couldn't move from the smelly dumpster for another hour until April and Casey left. He shoved the lid open and jumped out, grimacing at the smell. Grumbling to himself, he marched off to find his brothers. But as he continued to grumble about April, climbing up to the rooftops, Donnie's groans turned to sad moans. He paused in his walking, staring sadly at the ground. He took out his T-phone and began flipping through the pictures, staring at the ones of him and April. He paused at one not only showing him and April, but Kuro as well. He sighed.

"Kuro always supported me going after April." Donnie murmured. "She never let me give up…..on anything. It was bad enough when she left, but why did April have to go too?" He sighed, tucking his phone away. He began walking again, but suddenly there was a flash of black and gray colors, and Donnie felt a force slam into his chest before his shell hit the ground. He quickly stood up again, spinning around to glare at his new opponent. "You again!" He gasped, staring at the same samurai that attacked him and his brothers before. "What do you want? How do you know the Shredder?"

The samurai didn't answer, but simply melted into a strong fighting stance.

Donnie glared, drawing his staff. "You don't have a weapon this time, so I hope you realize there's no way you'll win."

In response, the samurai suddenly kicked up a nearby pipe, holding it like a sword.

Donnie frowned. "Of course. All right, come on!" He lunged for the samurai, ready to fight. The samurai met him head-on, swinging the pipe around only for Donnie to block the strike with his staff. The samurai continued to swing the pipe, but Donnie continuously blocked and countered the strikes. But each swing of the staff only met the air as the samurai skillfully dodged the attacks. Now that Donnie had the experience of fighting the samurai, he realized why Leo had such a hard time with him. The samurai moved with the grace and speed of a ninja, but his fighting style was clearly that of the bushido. Donnie suddenly felt the pipe smack against his shell, and he thanked the heavens the samurai didn't have a bladed weapon this time.

Donnie paused, then smiled. _But I do! _Unsheathing the naginata blade, Donnie swung the sharp end towards the samurai, who leaned back as the blade passed his mask by inches. Donnie laughed triumphantly, spinning his weapon and lunging once more. This time, the samurai was forced to be more defensive to avoid the blade, using the pipe he carried as a shield more than a weapon. Then, Donnie managed to smack the pipe out of the samurai's hands and whack it aside, off the roof and to the ground below. Donnie swung his staff again, aiming to hit the samurai's helmet off his head, but he didn't expect the armored warrior to step forward and catch the staff in one hand, grabbing the wood just below the naginata blade. The samurai jerked the staff towards him, hitting Donnie repeatedly in the head with the end he still held until the purple-banded Turtle let go. The samurai lunged with a strong kick to the face, sending the tall turtle sprawling on the ground. He groaned in pain, but gasped when the samurai suddenly stood over him with his naginata blade at the Turtle's throat. Donnie stared up at the samurai's masked face, praying his brothers were there to help him.

Then, the samurai spun the staff around and tossed it aside, running off and diving off the edge of the roof. Donnie hurriedly ran after the warrior, but when he looked down to the ground the samurai disappeared from sight. Confused but thankful to still be alive, Donnie scooped up his staff and hurried off to find his brothers.

* * *

The next evening, Donnie spent most of his time working on a voice box for Timothy while ranting and raving to the mutant boy about the samurai that attacked him. Once he finished that story, he moved on to the infuriating sight of April with her new "boyfriend." Timothy listened quietly, often staring at April's picture Donnie kept on the desk.

"Ridiculous!" Donnie huffed. "And they were swinging together! Swinging! And then she _looked _at him. Can you believe it? She gave him _that _look. Like this." He made the cutest smiley face possible, blinking his eyes, and then deadpanned. Timothy blinked in response. Donnie groaned. "Why was she even with him? Because he's human, that's why! Big deal! You know how many people are human?" He finally finished the voice box and marched over to hook it up to Timothy's canister. "I'm almost done with your voice box. How's that?"

Timothy's voice came from the microphone, full of static and a little slurred, but there. _"S-speaking t-to youuuu, Don-nieeee?"_

"Hey, it works!" Donnie laughed. "Let's see April's _boyfriend _design something like this!"

"_I…..like Ap-ril….Don-nieee." _Timothy said.

"Yeah." Donnie sighed, rubbing the canister's glass. "You and me both, Pulverizer." He moved back to his desk to continue working on a retro-mutagen. "I just have to face it: she'll never wanna be friends again."

"_April…frieeend?" _Timothy asked.

Donnie looked down, unable to answer. "Donatello, my son." Donnie looked up to see Splinter in the doorway. "I would like to speak with you."

Though confused, Donnie said "Sure, Master Splinter." and followed Splinter into the dojo. The two of them stood in the middle of the room, Donnie bowing to Splinter.

"Today, I will teach you to enjoy falling down." Splinter announced.

"Why would I ever—whoa!" Donnie blinked and suddenly Splinter was gone, only to appear behind him and swipe his legs out from under him. The turtle grunted in pain as he hit the ground.

"Did you enjoy that?" Splinter asked.

"No!" Donnie shook his head as she stood.

"Then let's keep trying." Splinter suggested, sounding amused. Donnie frowned and prepared himself, but it didn't make a difference. Splinter easily knocked his son to the ground again and again until Donnie started feeling dizzy. On the final fall, Splinter finally helped Donnie rise. "Do you like it yet?"

"No, Sensei! Not at all!" Donnie complained.

"Hmm." Splinter hummed in though. "Then perhaps one cannot _make _someone like something."

"Of course not! No one _wants _to be….." it clicked in Donnie's head. "Oh, I get it. You're talking about me and April."

"My son, for someone so intelligent, the obvious often eludes you." Splinter noted. Donnie looked down. He certainly didn't want to _force _April to like them all again, especially him, but at the same time he missed having her around the lair. What else could he do except try and win her back? To get her to see how much he and all of them care about her? Donnie wanted to respond to Splinter's comment, but a sudden crashing sound caught their attention. "What was that?" Splinter asked.

"It came from the lab." Donnie murmured, running off with Splinter close behind. But when they entered the lab, there was a large hole in the wall where Timothy once rested.

"Timothy!" Donnie gasped. "He's gone." Metalhead beeped and blipped. "Yep, it's a mess, Metalhead."

"Donnie? Sensei?" the two mentioned ninjas turned as Mikey, then Raph, and finally Leo entered the lab and gaped at the sight of the hole in the wall.

"What happened?" Leo asked. "Are you guys okay?"

"Timothy somehow escaped, and I think he went after April." Donnie said hurriedly. "Come on, I'll fill you in on the way." He darted off through the hole and into the darkness, his brothers following. They hurried up to the surface and across the rooftops, Donnie explaining everything as they searched for Timothy. "I didn't know it, but I think all of my April talk made Timothy go after her!"

"You told your thoughts and feelings to a pile of guts in a jar?" Raph snapped.

"He's a good listener!" Donnie protested.

Leo pulled out his phone and dialed April's T-phone, hoping to get through to her. "How dangerous is this thing?"

"Well, he obviously doesn't know his own strength!" Donnie said worriedly. "He could end up hurting her."

"Her T-phone's still off." Leo announced. "There's no way of tracing the signal."

"Actually, she might be at the park." Donnie corrected. "On a date." He muttered.

They all skidded to a halt, Donnie's brothers turning to glare at him. "And you know this how?" Raph demanded.

Donnie sweat dropped a little, looking sheepish. "Um, maybe I was…..following her."

"Well, that's not creeptastic." Mikey said sarcastically.

Once Leo got over his moment of irritation, he went into full leader mode. "Okay, so they're either at the park or April's headed back home. Donnie, we'll take the park. Raph and Mikey, you two head to April's." The Turtles split up and split off, running to their respective destinations.

* * *

Kuro hummed to herself as she walked out of the pet store, making sure she got everything before walking down the street. Haiiro darted out from a nearby alley, walking beside her as they journeyed to their tent in the forest. The smoky gray cat meowed at Kuro.

"Don't worry, Haiiro." Kuro assured, reaching down and lifting up the cat in her free arm. "I got the food you like."

Haiiro climbed up a little to peer into the bag at the cans of wet cat food, and then meowed again as she looked to Kuro.

"I didn't get much, but it's enough to last us until we leave." Kuro assured. "No worries."

Haiiro didn't know how she could get her human master to understand, but she didn't really feel up to trying tonight. So the feline purred as she draped herself across Kuro's shoulders like a scarf, causing giggles from the girl. Kuro looked to either side of her before crossing the street, but suddenly jumped when a bike sped past at high speeds. Kuro stared after the rider, she and Haiiro blinking in surprise.

"April?" Kuro raised an eyebrow at the redhead holding onto the bike for dear life. She jumped when a large green mass suddenly ran past, and Haiiro hissed a bit. Kuro narrowed her eyes, but they widened. "Timothy?!" The raven-haired girl moved to follow them, but gasped when a truck suddenly hit Timothy and sent him flying.

Haiiro jumped to the ground and stared after the falling green mutant, meowing.

"Come on, Haiiro." Kuro urged, running off deeper into the city. "We gotta find a place to put our stuff before we go after him." Haiiro hurriedly followed her master, the two of them disappearing down an alleyway.

Timothy shakily rose to his feet, staring after April as she and the boy she was with rode off. Clearly he could find April no problem, but when it came to convincing her of his friendship….not so much. _"April, wait! Be good friend!"_

"Not so fast, barrel full of ugly!"

Timothy turned with an animalistic roar at the sight of Raph and Mikey behind him. "Donnie's right." Raph realized. "Pulverizer's been drinking mutagen. You're not going anywhere, pal!"

"_No!" _Timothy began moving away from them. _"Must find April."_

Mikey leaped into the goo mutant's path, staring at the monster. "What happened to you, Pulverizer? You turned into some kinda…Mutagen Man!"

Timothy/Mutagen Man roared again, lunging for the ninjas as they drew their weapons. Mutagen Man slammed his hands onto the ground, causing a small earthquake and sending Raph and Mikey into the air. He slammed a foot on Raph's plastron and pinned him to the ground, smacking Mikey aside and sending the younger Turtle into a dumpster that then fell on top of him and trapped him inside.

"Mikey!" Raph cried. He struggled under Mutagen Man's weight on his chest. "Lemme go!"

"_Goodbye Turtllllllle." _Mutagen Man reached towards Raph, acid dripping from the pores on his hand.

Suddenly, there was a flash of silver and Leo landed on the ground some feet away, Mutagen Man's hand falling to the ground and disintegrating. Leo glared at Mutagen Man, advancing towards the goo mutant to fight, but Donnie jumped between them.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Donnie pleaded.

"What?!" Raph snapped. "That thing just tried to melt my face!"

"All he wants to do is make April our friend again." Donnie reasoned.

"_No!" _Mutagen Man suddenly shouted. _"April not Turtle friend! April only my friend!"_

"What?!" Donnie snapped this time. "I thought you were trying to get April back for me!" He paused. "Um, us."

"_Turtles…..hurt April!" _Mutagen Man growled, showing his arm that was missing a hand. _"Hurt me! Must….destroy…Turtles!" _More goo sprouted from Mutagen Man's arm, creating a new hand. Reluctantly, the Turtles drew their weapons and prepared to fight once more. But as they watched, the formerly teal color in Mutagen Man's canister seemed to drain away, and he growled in despair. _"Powerrrrring…dowwwwwnnnn." _The mutant collapsed and fell face first to the asphalt, his arms and legs withering to uselessness.

"What happened?" Leo asked as the Turtles relaxed.

"He ran out of mutagen!" Donnie realized. "Quick, let's get him into the Shellraiser!" Though his brothers seemed hesitant, the mutant turtles quickly loaded the now appendage-less Mutagen Man into the Shellraiser and they sped off towards the lair.

"Remind me why we're bringing Mr. Personality here back to the lair?" Raph demanded after several minutes of driving.

"What he did isn't his fault, Raph." Donnie reasoned. "It's mine. He was lonely. All my April talk made him want a friend. But more importantly, Timothy's DNA could be the key to retro-mutagen. I could cure April's dad and him if—" A glowing green light caught their attention, and Mikey gasped as they looked down to see an empty mutagen canister next to Mutagen Man. "Oh no." Donnie gulped. Within seconds, Mutagen Man reformed his appendages and began flailing around, hitting the Turtles as he stood up. Leo felt the canned mutant hit him and his hands accidently jerked the wheel of the Shellraiser, sending it swerving. Mutagen Man grabbed another can of mutagen from the floor of the Shellraiser before jumping out of the car, running down the street.

"_Aprillllll!" _

* * *

Mutagen Man continued wandering as he searched for April's home, hoping to catch her on more peaceful terms this time. He wandered through the alleys, trying to be as stealthy as possible. But he couldn't see anything that he recognized.

A flash of movement caught his eye, and he paused. But as the monster looked around, he could only see shadows as a figure darted around him. He growled a little, running down the alleyway to escape. But suddenly the figure landed in his path, brandishing a sword threateningly. Roaring, Mutagen Man swung his fists around and tried smashing the figure into the ground. But the black-clothed warrior moved swiftly and smoothly, easily dodging Mutagen Man's attacks. Mutagen Man grew angrier and more desperate with each missed attack, wanting nothing more than to crush this new opponent. It only got worse for him when a yowl rang out and something with sharp claws latched itself into his arm. Roaring, he glared at the smoky gray furred feline that dug her claws into his arm and hissed. He tried swatting her off, but the cat jumped away. The ninja and the cat stood before Mutagen Man, blocking his path.

"_Get away!" _Mutagen Man screamed. _"April…friend April!"_

Kuro paused, staring at Mutagen Man. _He's not trying to hurt anyone. He's just trying to befriend her. _She prepared herself as Mutagen Man lunged again, and she eyed the mutagen canister in one of his hands. She jumped up and kicked the mutant's canister, just hard enough to force him to stop. Then she quickly stabbed the mutant's hand, forcing him to let go of the mutagen so Kuro could kick it up into the air. Mutagen Man roared, lunging for the black-clothed warrior. But Kuro sheathed her sword and suddenly pulled down her hood and face mask, revealing her worried face.

"Timothy stop!" Kuro cried, and suddenly the goo mutant froze. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, Kuro panting a bit. "Timothy, it's okay. It's me…..Miwa." She didn't know how much Timothy would recognize her, but she figured it would be best to use the name he knew her by.

Mutagen Man stared. _"Mmmiiiiiiiwwaaaaa?" _He recognized the girl. In his deepest memory, he could see an image of the same girl that stood before him. He looked up and his eyes widened. _"Look out!" _He suddenly grabbed Kuro and pulled her forward in a bear hug, just as the mutagen canister fell from the air. Kuro wanted to thank Timothy, but a pained yowl caught her attention and she turned to see the mutagen canister broke open…..onto Haiiro!

"_NO!" _Kuro screamed as Haiiro began to writhe in pain, her fur stained with glowing mutagen. The cat let out painful howls, the sound so horrifying it permanently imprinted itself in Kuro's memory. The Japanese teen wriggled free from Mutagen Man's grip and knelt beside her cat. "Haiiro?"

The smoky gray feline could hardly register anything her senses picked up, but she knew she couldn't risk Kuro getting mutated as well. So she turned and darted off, leaving drips of mutagen in her trail. The glowing drops of goo only stayed for a moment before drying and disappearing.

"Haiiro! Come back!" Kuro stood to run after her, but Mutagen Man suddenly grabbed her around her stomach.

"_Mmiiiiwaaa." _Mutagen Man moaned sadly.

"Timothy, let me go!" Kuro pleaded. "I have to go after her!"

Mutagen Man turned Kuro so she would look him in the eye. He stared at her distraught face sadly. _"Sssorrryyyy. Didn't w-want thissss. Mmmy fault."_

Kuro stared at Mutagen Man, sighing. "It's not your fault. But I have to go after her and make sure she's okay. Please, Timothy."

Mutagen Man gently set Kuro down, giving her middle a squeeze as though to hug her. _"Me…sssorry."_

Kuro felt tears build up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. "Me too. I'm sorry this all had to happen to you. Goodbye Timothy."

"_Bye…" _Mutagen Man finally let Kuro go and she turned to run after Haiiro, the wind drying her eyes of any tears.

Meanwhile, April and Casey carefully snuck down the alleyway next to April's home, keeping a close eye out for Donnie's monster. But the streets were quiet save for the occasional car passing by.

"Hmm. No sign of any hideous organ monsters." Casey reported. April still remained wary as she walked up the steps to her front door. "So do all of your 'study sessions' go like this?"

"You have no idea." April sighed.

"So when's our next date?" Casey asked. "You can tell me about that crazy metal fan you're carrying."

April gave a half-scoff, half-laugh, steadily growing amused by this Casey Jones character. "Date? Don't get ahead of yourself there, Jones."

Unbeknownst to them, Mutagen Man stood in the alleyway just a little ways down the street, peering around the corner at the pair. He prepared himself to approach them, hoping they wouldn't attack again. _"April. I'm coming for—" _He paused when the Turtles suddenly jumped into his path, brandishing their weapons threateningly.

"Where do you think you're going, handsome?" Raph taunted. "April's house?"

"Keep him in the alley!" Leo ordered. "We can't let April's boyfriend see us!" Donnie fumed a bit at that last comment, but didn't make a comment.

"_Leave…Mutagen Man…..alone!" _the goo mutant suddenly began attacking, forcing the Turtles to engage in battle. He managed to get past them, but the ninja quickly pushed him back into the alley and out of sight. They jumped around, ricocheting of the walls, fire escapes, and dumpsters in the alley as they fought with Mutagen Man. But no matter what they did, it hardly left a dent in their opponent.

"Try not to hurt him!" Donnie urged. "Lead him away from the street!"

"Little tough when he's swinging acid hands at me!" Raph snapped. He jumped back as Mutagen Man lunged for him, jumping off a car as the larger mutant grabbed it and flung it out of the alley. Raph lunged, but Mutagen Man caught him in one hand and Mikey in another. Leo ran in from behind, but Mutagen Man's snake-like mouth shot out from the canister and wrapped about Leo's head and chest.

"_April is mine!" _Mutagen Man cried, his acid beginning to burn Mikey and Raph.

"Not if I can help it!" Donnie shouted in effort as he slammed his staff down onto Mutagen Man's mouth, forcing him to release Leo. Mutagen Man dropped Raph and Mikey and spun around to roar at Donnie.

"_Destroy you all!" _He punched Donnie as hard as he could, sending the tallest Turtle slamming into a wall and hitting the ground.

Leo leaped over to Donnie's side. "Donnie, we have no choice. Whatever the Pulverizer…Timothy…..was is gone now."

"But if we destroy him, I might never find a retro-mutagen." Donnie protested. "What about April's dad?"

"What about April?" Raph corrected.

Donnie stared at Mutagen Man, his mind racing with how to stop him without destroying the mutant boy. "We need to distract him. Misdirection and camouflage!" The other Turtles nodded and melted into the shadows, throwing shuriken and distracting Mutagen Man long enough for them to disappear.

"_Turtles…..gone?" _Mutagen Man growled, looking around for his opponents.

While his brothers hid and attacked, Donnie managed to slip into the Shellraiser nearby and grabbed what supplies he brought with them. "I hope this works!"

Mutagen Man continued to look around, waiting for the Turtles to attack. He knew they would never just let him walk out towards April's house. A sound caught his attention and he turned to see a wadded up piece of paper bouncing across the ground. He started moving toward it, not realizing the Turtles stood above and behind him. Raph yelled in effort and jumped down, landing a strike before disappearing into the shadows once more. Leo and Mikey followed his example, and Mutagen Man hit the ground.

"Over here, Mutagen Man!" Mikey's voice called, and the goo mutant slammed his fists down on what he thought was the turtle, but turned out to be trash.

"No, over here!" Leo's voice called, but Mutagen Man found only trash once more.

"Hey, Timothy!" Donnie called from the entrance to the alley, holding up a canister of familiar glowing goo. "Mutagen!" Mutagen Man growled as he turned towards Donnie, moving towards the purple-banded Turtle. "That's right. This way. Come closer."

"_Mmore mutagen!" _Mutagen Man suddenly swatted Donnie aside, forcing the Turtle to hit a wall and then the ground as the mutagen canister broke open against the ground.

"No!" Donnie cried. "Don't drink it, Timothy!"

Mutagen Man didn't seem to hear as his mouth and tongue lapped up the glowing mutagen like a dog, smiling in anticipation of the new power.

"Oh no!" Mikey groaned. "Not again!"

Mutagen Man's mouth lifted up the canister of mutagen and drank it all in a few gulps. He smirked triumphantly, but then his expression turned to one of shock and fear. _"Don-niieee. Something's….wro-ngggg." _Mutagen Man's voice slowed as his arms, legs, and entire body suddenly froze solid.

"I'm sorry, Timothy." Donnie said regretfully, his heart breaking a bit to see the mutant's fearful face. He jumped when Mutagen Man lunged, but the freezing quickly cemented him in place and prevented any further movement. The canister powered down and Donnie's brothers joined him.

"Wow! Awesome move, Donnie." Leo complimented. "Real scientific!"

Donnie still stared at Mutagen Man sadly. "Yeah. Real scientific." He approached the frozen monster and placed a hand on the glass. "Don't worry, my friend. One day, I'll find a cure."

Raph came up to his brother, placing a comforting arm around Donnie's shoulders. "It's okay, Donnie. You did what you had to do. Let's just go home."

* * *

Kuro continued her frantic searching, but even the faint trail of dried mutagen began to fade after several minutes of following it. Finally, she stopped trying to follow the trail and began running around in random directions, shouting for her feline friend.

"Haiiro? Haiiro!" Kuro called, desperately searching for the gray-furred cat as she ran. "Hai-chan? Haiiro, please come out!" In desperation, she climbed up to the roof of a nearby apartment and stared out at the sea of rooftops. She cupped her hands around her mouth. _"Haiiro!" _But only an echo responded to her call, and Kuro suddenly sunk to her knees and buried her face in her hands, sobbing. _Haiiro. I'm so sorry, Haiiro. This never would've happened if I just stayed in Japan. Why? Why did this have to happen to you? To all of us? Why did the Kraang—_ Kuro paused, and she suddenly glared. "The Kraang. This is all their fault. If they had just stayed away, if they had just stuck to their own dimension instead of coming here." She stood up and screamed to the night sky. "I hate you, Kraang! I hate you all! You've destroyed my life enough already! _I wish you'd all just die!" _She panted heavily, her red and puffy eyes wild.

A familiar sound of robotics came from below her, and Kuro looked over the edge to see some Kraang bots walking in the alley below. Glaring hard, Kuro jumped off the ledge and landed right on top of one of the three droids, crushing the robot and forcing the alien to scurry away in fear. One of the other Kraang bots aimed his gun for her, but Kuro easily sliced the gun in half with her sword before decapitating the robot, slicing it to pieces. The third one she decapitated and then forcefully ripped the alien from the stomach cavity, pinning the brain squid to a wall. The Kraang alien squeaked in fear, quivering at the murderous look in Kuro's eyes.

"Here's the thing, Kraang." Kuro spoke with complete seriousness in her tone. "You mess with me, you get some bruises; you mess with my friends, you get broken bones; you mess with my family, you get buried six feet underground." She glared hatefully at the alien. "You mess with my cat, I beat you so hard there'll be nothing left to bury."

The last thing the alien saw was a flash of black and silver from Kuro's blade.

* * *

Once the Turtles managed to get Mutagen Man back into Donnie's lab, they all gathered around the TV to watch more of their new favorite show before going to bed. Donnie several feet behind his brothers, watching the show absentmindedly. He only half-paid attention as the scientific hero saved the princess from a robot while his brothers cheered.

"How are you, my son?"

Donnie gave a startled yelp, turning to see Splinter appeared behind him. _I hate it when he does that. _"Sensei, I created a monster who couldn't squashed the girl I'm totally into. How do you think I feel? I'll probably never see her again."

"April's decision to stay away is her own choice. Much like Kuro's." Splinter said wisely. "We must let them come back in their own time."

"Yeah, but we know Kuro won't come back." Donnie sighed. "What if April never does?"

"Never lose hope, Donatello." Splinter encouraged.

Donnie looked up to the TV as the princess approached the scientific hero.

"_Oh Dr. Blip! You saved me with all of your might and brave intelligence! How I adore this!" _the princess cooed, kissing the hero repeatedly.

Donnie smirked. _Like that could happen. Well, at least not in the near future. _"Yeah. There's always hope."

* * *

It would've been a normal day at the office where Oroku Nagi worked, except the CEO's latest visitor caused everyone to turn and stare as he passed. Even if they tried not to, nobody could help it, and many of them began to wonder just who this man was and what connection he had with their boss.

Nagi sat comfortably at his desk, his eyes closed in deep meditation. He perked up at the sound of a knock at his door, and his receptionist came in nervously. "Um, Oroku-san? He's here."

Nagi opened his eyes. "Send him in."

The receptionist nodded and left. Seconds later, Nagi's visitor entered the room and shut the door behind him, walking up until he stood only several feet from Nagi's desk.

"Onīsan." Saki greeted. "I received your invitation."

"Saki-kun." Nagi greeted. "You seemed to have enough time to visit."

"I have a limited amount of free time, but it is free nonetheless." Saki nodded.

Nagi nodded in thought. "How about a drink? I have some good sake that needs to be drunk."

"I could use a glass." Saki admitted, pulling up a chair to sit closer to Nagi's desk. "It was a long flight."

Nagi nodded as he walked to a mini fridge nearby and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of sake wine. He poured himself and Saki a drink as he sat down, pushing Saki's glass closer to him. The two men each downed their glasses in a few gulps, their alcohol tolerance so high the action wouldn't affect them in the slightest. In fact, Nagi poured them each another round once they finished. They sat in silence for a while, only staring at each other.

"How is your wife?" Saki finally asked.

"She's doing very well." Nagi nodded. "We've enjoyed our time with our daughter back in our lives."

"Ah yes." Saki nodded in thought. "I heard Kuro returned."

"She's off visiting friends at the moment." Nagi said. "But, speaking of my daughter, she did want me to give you a message."

"Oh?" Saki blinked in surprise.

"She heard you were coming, and sent me an email to let me know so to give you her message." Nagi explained. "She said to tell you, and I quote, 'Thank you for the email you sent a while back. I'm sorry I didn't reply and that I'm not in Tokyo to see you, but I'm sure we can arrange a proper visit another time.'"

Saki nodded musingly. "Thank you for delivering the message."

Nagi didn't say anything for a moment. "So you've been keeping in touch with Kuro?"

"Sort of." Saki said. "She hasn't really responded much. But I believe our relationship is still strong."

"Good." Nagi murmured. "I'm glad, knowing everything that happened between you two."

"Whatever happened in our pasts, she seems to have forgotten or accepted it, or both." Saki said.

Nagi and Saki resumed their staring for a long moment. Oddly enough, there wasn't any tension but rather an air of comfortableness between the brothers. "Why did you take her?" Nagi finally asked.

Saki didn't answer, wondering how he could put it so his older brother would understand. "I needed her for Karai's companionship. She was a good friend and sister for Karai. Also…..I needed her for my own companionship. I can assure you I never harmed her."

"I don't doubt that." Nagi assured. "I could tell from what she described that you truly did and still do care for her. While I'm not exactly thrilled that you kidnapped my child, I am happy to know that at least she was well taken care of."

Saki stared at his brother. "Why did you invite me here? To talk about Kuro and her staying with me?"

"To talk about Kuro, yes." Nagi nodded. "And just to talk to you. It's been a long time since we talked, my baby brother."

Saki scoffed. "I am not a child."

"That does not change a thing." Nagi assured. "You are my brother. I forgive you for what happened with Kuro."

Saki didn't answer, nor did the scowl leave his face. But it seemed to lighten a little, and Nagi smiled in response. Saki sighed a little. "So Kuro has been happy staying here?"

"Seems like she is." Nagi nodded. "She does talk about you and this Karai girl. I think she misses you, she just doesn't want to talk about it. Like someone else I know."

"Showing emotions shows weakness." Saki growled.

Nagi chuckled. "Same as always, brother. Still, I think it would benefit both you and Kuro to spend some family time together."

Saki calmed down quickly. "I agree. I will continue to write to her; perhaps she will respond soon."

"I'm sure she will." Nagi nodded. "How are things in New York?"

"I wish to not speak of my business there." Saki replied simply.

Nagi raised his hands in submission. "Suit yourself. I'm just making casual conversation."

"Your wife would not be happy if she knew we met." Saki noted. "Or does she already know?"

"After I received Kuro's email about you coming to Japan, I deleted the email so my wife wouldn't find it." Nagi assured. "I arranged this meeting secretly so she wouldn't find out. She's not exactly fond of you."

"That's what you get for marrying a samurai." Saki sighed.

Nagi chucked. "And I love her to death. Like how you love Kuro." Saki's face remained still as stone, and Nagi continued to smile. "Come on, little brother. You can't deny that you truly love your niece. No matter how much you hide your emotions, you know it in your heart."

Saki still didn't speak, and he slowly stood up. "I have urgent business to attend to." He turned on his heel and began walking from the room, his glass of sake still half-full.

"Saki-kun." Nagi spoke up, causing Saki to pause. "We should meet again, one more time, before you return to New York."

Saki wouldn't look to his brother, either from stubbornness or to prevent Nagi from seeing the flash of softness in Shredder's eyes. "I would like that. Sayonara, Onīsan." He calmly walked from the office, only looking back once.

Nagi sighed nostalgically. "Sayonara, Saki-kun."

* * *

**A/N: I'm going to guess you guys are a little confused and freaked by Kuro's constant jumping around with her thoughts and logic, but it will be explained! Now that I finally have proper access to the season 2 episodes, hopefully my updates will be quicker!**


	5. Mikey Gets Shellacne

**Episode 5: Mikey Gets Shellacne**

Flying food and organized chaos isn't everybody's idea of a good morning, but in the lair it seemed almost typical for the Turtle brothers as they made breakfast.

With a _ding, _two slices of toast shot up from the toaster. "Toast is done!" Donnie announced, swinging his staff like a bat and sending the two pieces of cooked bread flying.

Leo eagerly held up his plate to catch them, but the force of the impact sent him to the ground while one of the pieces landed in his mouth. "Might be a little _over_done, Donnie."

Raph slammed down a cup and held up two oranges in one hand. "Orange juice, coming right up!" He tossed the two fruits into the air and then jumped after them, sais drawn and ready to go. He stabbed a blade through each orange before landing on the island and smashing the fruits together, sending juice in several directions except into the cup he had. It even missed Donnie's cup and some ended up right in his eyes.

"Ow! It's stings! It stings!" The genius turtle cried as he ran about the room. He ended up crashing into Leo as he tried to cook some eggs, sending the frying pan previously on the stove sailing through the air and smacking Raph off the island. The fire alarm began beeping, much to their annoyance as organized chaos became just flat-out chaos.

"Donnie, I told you scrambled!" Raph complained as the eggs cracked over his head.

"Oh man." Leo groaned, standing and removing the pot lid from his head. "This place is a disaster."

"Yeah, Mikey usually makes breakfast. What's the deal?" Raph turned towards the bedrooms and let out a holler. "Mikey! Mikey, get up!"

Back in Mikey's room, the youngest of the Lotus Clan Ninjas could only groan as his brother's calls woke him up. He still moaned, feeling a little groggy as he grabbed his mask and put it on. He felt clammy and his stomach hurt a little. Long story short: he felt sick as a dog.

"Oh I feel awful." Mikey groaned as he rose. "Maybe I shouldn't have ate that jalapeno cappuccino pizza last night." He pushed past the mirror in his room as he left, reluctantly making his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. But he paused and ran back to the mirror, staring at his reflection.

His resounding scream made his brothers jump.

"What the—? I'm a mutant!" Mikey's shout carried throughout the lair.

"Uh, he's just realizing that now?" Leo asked, half-seriously.

Mikey suddenly burst into the room. "Guys! Look at me! I'm covered in turtle zits!" He pointed up towards his head, where little bumps dotted the top of his skull. They did indeed look like blemishes. His brothers recoiled in disgust.

"Talk about shellacne." Raph grimaced. "You look like a green chimichanga."

"Eh, don't worry, Mikey." Leo assured, not wanting his younger brother to freak out. "It's just part of being a teenager."

"Have you ever had 'em?" Mikey asked.

"Heck no!" Leo scoffed.

Donnie's analytical brain had been working into overtime, and now he approached Mikey with his T-phone out. "Hold up, guys. I think this might be serious." Mikey gulped, but obeyed Donnie as he led them all back to his lab. Using a scanner on his T-phone, Donnie began his analysis of his brother's supposed blemishes. After a few minutes, Donnie gave his report. "Okay Mikey. The good news is these so-called 'zits' aren't gonna hurt you. And more importantly, they won't interfere with you making us breakfast."

"That's a relief." Mikey scoffed sarcastically.

"But the bad news is they'll continue to spread all over your body." Donnie said in mock-sympathy. "Spreading and spreading and spreading and spreading."

Mikey chuckled nervously at the dark tone Donnie put on. "And then they disappear in a couple hours, right?"

"No." Donnie said, shocking Mikey. "And then your entire body will mutate into one, single, huge, giant, gargantuan zit."

Mikey's eyes widened and his irises and pupils constricted. _"NO!"_

* * *

Needless to say, Kuro's breakfast wasn't nearly as hectic as the Turtles', seeing how she just needed to make some eggs over the campfire while munching on a protein bar she had. She stared out at the New York City skyline before her, taking the frying pan off the fire to eat her eggs. After staring at the city for a while, her eyes traveled to the paper bag from the pet store. Haiiro's cat food still rested inside, uneaten since the feline's disappearance. Kuro sighed heavily, the taste of the eggs seeming to go sour in her mouth. Several days passed since Haiiro's mutation and running away. Kuro wanted nothing more than to go home after watching her closest friend become soaked in mutagen, but she knew she didn't want to go home with Haiiro by her side. Whether she was a hideous monster or just a now-anthropomorphized cat, Kuro wanted to bring Haiiro back with her.

But how to find her? Kuro scoured the alleyways every night and for several hours during the day, but there wasn't a single hair nor claw to find of her feline friend. She refused to give up, though, because that little fur ball was her family and she wasn't about to give up on family. Just like how she promised her father she wouldn't.

Kuro looked back to the city skyline, her eyes narrowing in determination. She finished her eggs, tossing the scraps into the grass for the woodland animals before dousing the hot pan in the nearby creek to cool it off. She disappeared into her tent and emerged minutes later in her jeans, black sneakers, red T-shirt, and black jacket. She stuffed her phone into her pocket, shouldering her small backpack and looking towards the city.

"I'm going to find you, Haiiro." Kuro promised. "And then you and I are going home where we belong."

* * *

Mikey cooked breakfast, as usual, but then proceeded to lock himself in his room for the rest of the day. Around dinnertime, when the youngest Turtle still hadn't emerged, his brothers decided to check up on him. Leo pounded on Mikey's bedroom door. "Mikey, come on! It's not as bad as you think. And Raph promises not to make fun of you anymore."

Raph noticed Leo's pointed look and grumbled a bit as he approached the door. "That's right. I'm sorry I called you Crust Muffin and Fungus Face and Godzitla, King of the Pus Monsters. Now come on out here!"

"No way!" Mikey shouted from inside his room. "Not while I'm covered in gross, slime-filled zits!"

"Technically, they're pustules filled with oil and sebum, which is even grosser than slime." Donnie corrected, thoroughly grossing out his brothers.

"Uh, not helping, Donnie." Leo said quietly. "But thanks. Mikey!" He knocked on the door again.

"Forget it, guys." Mikey called. "I'm too hideous to be a ninja! I'll stay locked away in here forever! And even longer if I have to."

"All right. Time for the big guns." Leo sighed. "Mikey, think about this: would Kuro want you to hide in your room just because of some blemishes?"

Mikey paused. "No…."

"And Kuro is a normal human teenager." Leo reminded him. "I'm sure she got zits once in a while."

"Nuh-uh!" Mikey called. "She _always _had perfect complexion because she washes her face twice a day with that nice, Japanese face cream she has."

His brothers stared at the door. "And you guys thought me following April was creepy." Donnie huffed.

* * *

Karai lounged in Shredder's throne, a Foot Bot Soldier on either side of her as she waited somewhat impatiently for Bradford and Xever to arrive. She didn't need to wait long: the two Foot Clan officers soon arrived.

"Bradford, Xever. Enter." Karai commanded.

The two obeyed, but not before the doors closed on Dogpound's tail and caused him to yelp. He fell forward, cracking the glass to the pools below and falling into the water. Fishface chuckled. "Impressive. You went from stealthy ninja to idiot man-dog."

Dogpound growled as he pulled himself from the water. "How I detest this clumsy body. What I wouldn't give to be human again."

Karai rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I don't have all day."

"Don't get too comfortable, Karai." Fishface warned as he and Dogpound approached. "Shredder is the only one worthy of that throne."

"Dad put _me _in charge while he's in Japan, remember?" Karai reminded him. "So either learn some respect or I chop off your robot legs and drop you in the sewer. Got it?" Fishface only grumbled, but did not make another remark. "Now listen. I need someone to help maintain my Foot Bot Soldiers on a daily basis. Someone whose loyalty can be bought. Someone who can easily be intimidated. Someone like—"

"Baxter Stockman." Fishface suggested.

"Stinkman?" Dogpound snarled. "But that little creep tried to destroy us! Who knows what he—?"

"Stockman's perfect." Karai agreed. "You think you two freaks can handle it?"

"Leave it to us, boss." Fishface nodded, going quiet at that last word as he and Dogpound left. Karai watched them go, sitting back in Shredder's throne.

"Leave me in peace." Karai ordered, and the Foot Bots bowed to her before disappearing. Karai waited to make sure they truly left before reaching into her collar and pulling out a golden, heart-shaped locket on a small chain. She opened the locket to stare at the pictures inside: one of her and her mother, the other of her and Kuro. It had been a week or so since Karai saw her sister, and she was beginning to fear that the next time she saw Kuro would be in battle. Or never at all. Karai allowed an expression of sadness to come across her features, and she sighed as she held the locket to her heart. "Oh Kuro. I miss you so much."

* * *

Per a typical Turtle evening, the boys sat around the TV watching a movie and eating pizza. Donnie messed around on his computer and Mikey still refused to come out of his room.

Or so they thought, until Raph caught sight of his youngest brother trying to hide under a pizza box. He smirked. "Cool! Mikey brought his own pizza: his face!" He laughed out loud, the sound only amplifying at Mikey's irritated grumbles. "Okay, okay I'll stop. Now come on and zit down." He burst into laughter again. "'Zit' down! I crack myself up."

"Raphael!" Splinter's voice made Raph jump and cringe. "You should know better than to make fun of one's appearance. After all, how would the humans above react to yours?"

Raph's face fell, knowing Splinter was (once again) right. What's a little shellacne compared to the fact that they were all "mutant freaks"? "You're right, Master Splinter. Sorry, Mikey."

Mikey groaned as he sat down. "Just kick me out, Master Splinter. I can't be a ninja when I look like a moldy pickle."

"And why not?" Splinter scoffed. "I do not let my appearance affect me."

"Well, yeah, 'cause old people never care how they look…..or smell." Mikey huffed.

Splinter noticed something; not necessarily the comment, but how Mikey was positioning himself and using a certain tone of voice the rat master would know anywhere. Mikey's "innocent" whistling only further proved his theory. "My son, I sense there is something you would like to tell us."

Mikey seemed to pale. "What? No. Not at all. Really, I didn't do anything." Too late he realized his mistake, and he stared nervously up at his father and brothers staring him down. "Okay, okay! You got me! I kinda…..um…I sprinkled a little…" He pulled a jar of bright blue liquid from his belt. "…mutagen…on my skin."

Raph, Leo, and Donnie jumped to their feet, speaking simultaneously. "What?! Are you kidding? _Why?!_"

"To become better." Mikey reasoned. "Cooler, you know? You guys treat me like I'm a big goofball all the time. So I found this vial in Donnie's lab. The label says it'll make you super cool."

Donnie took the jar and turned it to reveal the extra "-ed" at the end. "No, it says you're supposed to keep it super cooled. As in temperature! This was a reject batch of retro-mutagen, Mikey. It's dangerous!"

"Well you could have made it a little more clear!" Mikey shouted. Donnie held up the jar and turned it around to reveal several stickers that read everything from "Danger" and "Poison" to "This will kill you!" and "Mikey don't eat me." Mikey stared a little sheepishly. "Still not that clear."

Once they got over the shock of the revelation, they all gathered in Donnie's lab so he could do a more thorough analysis of the youngest Turtle's condition. Donnie's eyes stayed locked on his computer the entire time until he found the results. "Oh no."

"Please tell me that's a good 'oh no.'" Mikey begged.

"It's a _terrible _'oh no.'" Donnie said with complete seriousness in his voice. "According to these blood tests, the mutagen in your system is unstable. You only have three hours until—"

"Until what?" Leo asked suddenly. "What'll happen to him?"

"In scientific terms, go boom." Donnie replied.

"I'm gonna explode?!" Mikey screamed.

"Like a massive zit." Donnie confirmed.

"Ew." Leo and Raph grimaced. Even Splinter had to admit it was a gross thing to consider.

Mikey suddenly felt woozy. "No….." Then he fell to the ground.

"But now that I know what caused this, I think I can engineer an antidote from the remaining sample." Donnie assured.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Mikey instantly perked up, hugging his brother. "I love you, man!"

Donnie shoved the Turtle away. "Okay, come on."

"Then you must start right away." Splinter urged, remaining serious through the entire ordeal.

"I'm just missing one key instrument though." Donnie admitted. "A molecular centrifuge to mix the solution."

"No problem!" Mikey assured. "Money is no object! Leo, can I borrow some cash?"

"The only place I've ever seen a molecular centrifuge was at TCRI." Donnie mused.

"But we blew that place up when we took down the Kraang." Raph reminded him. "What could be left?" The Turtles thought about it. If the place was really destroyed, what were the odds they'd still find the tech they needed? Then again, with the clock ticking on Mikey's life, what other lead did they have to go on?

* * *

Dogpound surveyed the rooftops, sniffing the air for any traces of Baxter Stockman's scent. He growled now and then, both in not finding Stockman and cursing his fate. He walked along the roof, pausing to stare at his reflection in a nearby window. "You were once a feared warrior. Now you're a common dog, hunting squirrels like Stockman." Dogpound continued on, but he paused again in thought. "Stockman. Maybe he could actually help me." Nerdy, spineless creep that he was, Stockman was still a scientist and could potentially find a cure for the mutations. He could be Bradford again, a normal human ninja. Dogpound took another few whiffs of the air, and a new scent caught his nose. He growled. "Gotcha." He took off towards the edge of the building, but paused before he could jump down. Crouching low, he discovered a figure standing in the alleyway.

"Haiiro!" the figure, a girl, called. "Haiiro! Come on out! We have to go home!"

Dogpound paused, then leaped down and landed behind the girl. The black-clothed female jumped and spun around, her face and head covered by a hood and mask so only her eyes were visible. Dogpound blinked. "Kuro?"

Kuro lowered her face mask to smile at the mutant dog. "Bradford-senpai!" She giggled as she suddenly hugged the dog, the mutant mutt chuckling and ruffling her hair.

"Hey kid." Dogpound greeted warmly. "Good to see you again."

Kuro laughed as she pulled away, smiling for the first time in days. "It's so good to see you too. What are you doing out here?"

"A little…..nerd hunting." Dogpound smirked. "And what about you? What are you doing in New York?"

"Taking care of a little Kraang business." Kuro shrugged. "I was going to leave a few days ago, but I ran into a problem. I hate to ask like this, but you're a dog; have you been chasing any cats lately?"

Dogpound groaned. "Please don't bring up my mutation right now. I'm not having the best day."

"No, no!" Kuro laughed. "I'm not asking to tease you. I'm looking for my pet cat. Her name is Haiiro, and she has grey fur and bright blue eyes. I was just wondering if you've seen her."

Dogpound thought for a moment. "Nope. I don't think so. Haven't spent too much time outside of Foot Headquarters lately."

Kuro sighed. "I was afraid of that. Well, I have to keep looking. She got hit with mutagen and ran off."

"So she's a mutant now?" Dogpound realized.

Kuro glared at the ground, her fists clenched. "Yes. And she's probably so scared and confused and I have to be there for her."

Dogpound looked down. He could sense Kuro's urgency, but he hated to leave after seeing her again after so long. But he took in a silent breath and let it out slowly. "You better keep looking for her, then. I have to get back to my hunt anyway."

Kuro could hear the sad tone in Dogpound's voice, and she stared at him sadly. "Yeah. Well, it was nice seeing you again." She quickly hugged Dogpound one more time before pulling up her face mask and turning to leave.

"Hey Kuro." Dogpound's voice made Kuro pause. "I'm going after Stinkman, on Karai's orders. I know he can somehow make me human again, so if you want your cat back to normal, you could always stop by headquarters and we can make that happen."

Kuro stared at Dogpound, then smiled. "I will definitely think about that. Thank you, Bradford-senpai." She took off, disappearing into the shadows. Dogpound smiled after her, sighing in nostalgia for a moment before returning to his hunt.

* * *

Up in TCRI, the Turtles found the entire place truly deserted and really quite trashed. It was highly unlikely that they'd find anything, but it was their best shot at the moment. Mikey was constantly worried for his zits, which steadily began to grow and show up more on his arms and legs.

"Everybody spread out and start looking." Donnie ordered. His brothers obeyed, rummaging through the rubble for what they needed.

"Is this a centrifudge?" Mikey asked.

"Centrifuge." Donnie corrected. "No, that's a beaker."

"Is this a centrifudge?"

"That's a microscope."

"Is this a centrifudge?"

"That's the same beaker!" Donnie groaned. "We're never gonna find it! This place is—"

Leo hurriedly shushed him. "Listen. You hear that?" The ninjas went quiet, and soon discovered someone else rummaging through the debris like they did. Carefully sneaking over the chunks of ceiling and destroyed Kraang parts, they found a familiar face knelt beside some broken Kraang droids.

"Dorkster Blockhead?" Raph blinked.

Baxter fumed. _"It's Baxter Stockman!" _He jumped. "T-Turtles? Here? Now?" He jumped back, carrying a box of tech, as the Turtles jumped down towards him.

Donnie noticed something in the box. "He's got the centrifuge. Hand it over, Storkman!"

Baxter jumped, dropping the box but catching the centrifuge. "Stockman! And no. I found it first. Mousers! Attack!" A small herd of Mouser robots suddenly appeared, lunging for the Turtles.

"Don't let 'em pop me!" Mikey screamed, running from the sharp-toothed robots. Luckily, his brothers easily took down the Mousers, but just when Raph finished one a chunk of ceiling fell on top of it and another familiar face dropped down into the room and crushed the rest of the Mousers.

"Dogpound?" Baxter gulped.

"Well, if it isn't weasely little Stinkman." Dogpound sneered.

"Back off, Dogpound." Leo snapped. "We found him first."

Dogpound smirked. "Stinkman and the Turtles? And I thought I was having a bad day." The mutant dog suddenly lunged for the Turtles, smacking them all aside with ease. Leo, Donnie, and Raph were quick to retaliate, only for Dogpound to grab them and throw them into a wall.

"He's got the centerfudge!" Mikey cried, alerting Dogpound to his victim's escaping.

Dogpound jumped up and landed in Baxter's path. "You're coming with me." He growled, grabbing Baxter.

"No, no please!" Baxter whimpered. "I'm extremely fragile! Help!"

Dogpound looked back to see the Turtles giving a chase, and he turned to punch a nearby column. Smirking, he took off as part of the ceiling began collapsing down after him. "My centerfudge!" Mikey cried, staring in horror at the debris falling towards him.

"Look out!" Leo called, shoving Mikey aside.

Mikey flinched as the ceiling cascaded down, and once the dust settled he hurried back to his brothers. "Guys, are you okay?"

"Yeah." Raph confirmed.

"Thanks, Mikey." Leo said as the youngest Turtle helped him up.

"They're gone." Raph realized, staring down where Dogpound disappeared with Baxter.

"And they have the centerfudge." Mikey whined.

"Centrifuge." Donnie corrected with a groan.

* * *

The Turtles couldn't do much except regroup at the lair and come up with a new plan. Not that it was easy, given that Mikey kept walking circles and groaning about his condition. The zits continued to grow, even pushing through his shell. They knew it was only a matter of time before the final stages of the growth and Mikey would burst, in more ways than one.

Raph punched the bean bag chair he previously rested in. "I can't believe that fleabag beat us. I want a rematch!"

"Easy, Raph." Leo said. "Focus on what's important. We need to get that centrifuge to cure Mikey."

"His zits are getting more unstable." Donnie announced as he came in from the lab, pulling a bulletin board on wheels behind him. "If any of them get popped, they could cause a chain reaction, a la my zit-popping diagram here."

The brothers dared to take a look, only to throw up a little in their mouths at the sight. "What? So I pop either way?!" Mikey cried.

"We just have to keep you safe." Donnie soothed. "It's too dangerous to leave the lair."

"But I never got to visit a wax museum or learn Pig Latin or open a mummy's tomb where the mummy comes alive but he's so cool we form a hip-hop group and travel around the world together in a golden UFO. I wanna do that!" Mikey whined.

The rest of the Turtles exchanged looks. "Right." Raph nodded, but put on a determined look. "Listen, Mikey, we're gonna get that centrifuge. We'll do whatever it takes to fix you."

Mikey smiled. "Wow, Raph! Thanks!" He moved to hug the red-banded Turtle, but Raph stepped back and Mikey hit the floor.

"Okay, Dogpound and Boxcar." Leo called everyone to attention. "Where could they be? The old city dump?"

"Nah, they turned it into a retirement home." Raph shook his head.

"The abandoned nuclear plant?" Leo suggested.

"Now it's a nursery school." Donnie said.

Mikey quickly raised his hand. "Ooh! What about Baxter's old lab?"

His brothers exchanged looks. "Why would Dogpound capture Dexter and take him to his old lab? It makes no sense."

Mikey glared. "See? You guys never take me seriously! Kuro always took me seriously!"

"Mikey, I thought we talked about that." Raph warned. "And this is so not the best time."

"If Kuro were here, I'd be cured by now!" Mikey shouted. "If Kuro were here, I wouldn't have done something like this!"

"Oh please, if anything you would've done it to make sure she still liked you." Raph scoffed.

"I would not!" Mikey denied. "Because if Kuro were here—"

"_Enough, Mikey!" _Leo suddenly grabbed the edge of Mikey's plastron and pulled him in close to his face. "Kuro's _not _here, Mikey! She is not coming back! _She is never coming back!"_

It went dead quiet in the lair, and Leo suddenly realized what he just said. Mikey stared at him with wide eyes and a lower lip that quivered terribly. Leo sighed, gently letting Mikey go. He wanted to apologize, but Mikey's hateful and hurt glare silenced him. Though his eyes shined with unshed tears and his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, Mikey took a few steps back in resignation.

"We're sorry, Mikey." Donnie said softly.

"We're going to help you." Leo promised. "Just leave the thinking to us and you worry about not exploding." He turned to Donnie and Raph. "Maybe they went to Bradford's dojo."

"Possibility." Donnie mused.

"Nah." Raph shook his head.

As the three of them continued to talk, Mikey managed to slip away and ducked behind the turnstiles. He breathed a little heavily, fighting the hot tears building up behind his eyes. But he glared in determination. "I am not going to die tonight; I'm going to live to see Kuro again. Because I _will _see her again. And if you guys aren't gonna listen to me, I'm not waiting around to explode." He took off, disappearing into the subway tunnels.

* * *

Mikey easily found Baxter's old lab and realized he was right: Dogpound and Baxter were there, along with Fishface and a giant tank of mutagen. Mikey crouched onto the rafters, staring down at the scene. "I knew it. I knew Baxter would be here hatching a plan wearing a dog collar. Well, maybe not the dog collar part." He suddenly felt a strange moving sensation on his back and turned to see the zits on his shell pulsating. "No, no, no, no, no! Please not yet!" When he looked again, the bulbs stopped, and he sighed in relief. But he knew he didn't have much time left, so he focused on the task at hand. Or, more specifically, on the one object he needed. "Centrifudge. Am I glad to see you." He took his kusarigama and lowered the bladed end down towards the centrifuge. But when he swung the hooked blade around, he accidently tapped Dogpound's shoulder. The dog mutant didn't seem to notice. Gulping, Mikey tried again, but this time Dogpound grabbed the chain and yanked Mikey down to the ground. His ninja instincts kicking into gear, Mikey managed to land on his feet again on the floor.

"Fool!" Dogpound growled.

"Don't touch me!" Mikey pleaded. "I'm highly contagious!" He fake coughed a few times. "See? So how about I take that gadget and gout of your fur?" He moved to grab the centrifuge, only for Dogpound to smash his fist against the table and cause Mikey to cringe.

"I'd rather you stay. And people think _I'm _ugly?" Dogpound growled, staring at the bulges on Mikey's head and shell. He tossed the remote to Baxter's collar to Fishface. "Watch Stinkman. I wanna tear this turtle apart myself."

Whimpering, Mikey jumped back to avoid Dogpound's oversized fist. He drew a nunchaku and lunged for Dogpound, only for the mutant dog to punch Mikey so hard he flew up to the rafters again. Dogpound was quick to follow him, jumping up to the rafters and growling.

"Easy, D-Pound." Mikey pleaded, unsure how this battle would play out with both of them up on the semi-narrow beams. He swung his nunchaku as Dogpound lunged, jumping over the dog and running as the larger mutant chased him. Mikey managed to dodge each strike, but soon found himself standing on not a full beam but a small plank of wood resting across two rafters. His eyes widened at the sight of Dogpound preparing to jump. "Dogpound, don't!"

Too late. Dogpound jumped towards Mikey, smashing the board he once stood on. Mikey jumped away and managed to catch the edge of a piece of wood hanging from the rafter, but Dogpound also managed to grab Mikey's ankle. The two of them hung precariously over the vat of mutagen, Mikey determined to not let go. But he could hear the wood creaking under his and Dogpound's weight, and he knew it wouldn't support both of them. He could see Dogpound's hand reaching towards him, and out of pure instinct he drew a nunchaku to smack the dog off him. Dogpound shouted in terror as he fell into the tank of mutagen, much to the horror of everyone there. Mikey climbed up to the rafters before jumping down again, staring at Dogpound's shadowy form writhing around in the mutagen.

"Oh, snap. Dogs hate getting wet!" Mikey smiled triumphantly.

Suddenly, Dogpound leaped from the mutagen and landed hard on the ground before Mikey, Fishface, and Baxter. Only now, the mutant dog dripping with mutagen stood much taller, with blackened fur and an almost skeletal appearance. The double-mutated Bradford roared.

"Uh, some dogs." Mikey gulped.

* * *

Mikey's brothers soon realized that none of their leads were very legit, but what horrified them the most was that their brother seemed to have disappeared while they talked. Raph knew exactly where he'd go, and the three of them took off to find him.

"I can't believe he'd just run off without us!" Raph growled as they leaped across the rooftops. "Doesn't he realize he could get killed?"

"Maybe we should've listened to him!" Donnie shrugged. "We haven't exactly been the nicest to him lately."

"This is my fault." Leo groaned. "I shouldn't have shouted at him like that."

"We all get a little tense when we talk about Kuro." Raph assured. "It's okay. Let's just find Mikey and then we can worry about the sister we can't seem to—" Raph grunted as a force rammed into him, sending him tumbling across one of the rooftops. Leo and Donnie skidded to a halt and spun around.

"Oh not him again!" Leo groaned at the sight of the samurai.

Raph glared at the samurai, the dragon mask he wore seeming to taunt the turtle. "What the heck do you want? This is _so _not a good time!"

The samurai stared at him (at least he assumed so) for a moment before lunging, ready to fight. Raph drew his sais and met the samurai head-on, the two of them quickly engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

"Raph, we don't have time for this!" Leo shouted. "We have to go!"

"I _could_ use a little help!" Raph shouted as the samurai easily dodged his strikes and landed a few punches to his plastron and face. _This guy's better than I thought! _Raph wouldn't be deterred, wanting to finish his opponent before returning to Mikey. Leo and Donnie drew their weapons and lunged forward, but the samurai suddenly kicked Raph aside and threw several kunai, pinning Leo and Donnie to a nearby billboard by their belts. Raph lunged again, but the samurai jumped into the air, flipped backwards, and kicked Raph's carapace to send him to the ground. The red-banded Turtle groaned as he rolled over to his back, but then the samurai scooped up Raph's sais and jumped onto the turtle's stomach, stabbing the sais into the ground to form at X with Raph's neck between the two blades.

"Raph!" Leo and Donnie cried, still trying to pry themselves free.

Raph glared at the samurai, who remained completely still. Shouting in anger, Raph suddenly punched the samurai's face and sent the armored warrior tumbling. Carefully wrenching one sai free from the ground, Raph rolled to one side before grabbing his other blade and lunging for the samurai. The samurai long since rose, looking unfazed by the strike. Raph lunged with his sai blades, but suddenly the samurai grabbed his wrist, turned, and flipped the turtle over his shoulder. Raph shouted in pain as he hit the ground, growling in frustration. The samurai took off, disappearing as he jumped off the edge of the building.

"What is that guy's deal?" Raph growled as he stood.

"He's trying to get a feel for our fighting styles." Donnie guessed as he and Leo wrenched themselves free. "That's the only explanation for why he fights us for such a short amount of time. He's already taken all of us on, one-on-one, to understand how we fight. So that when he's finally ready to finish us, he'll know how."

"He's already fought the three of us." Leo said. "He'll be going after Mikey next."

"He won't get to Mikey if he explodes before we help him." Raph reminded him as they took off running again.

"That samurai won't get to Mikey at all." Leo assured. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't want that guy anywhere near Mikey. Or April or Sensei." Donnie and Raph nodded in agreement, the three of them increasing their speed to get to their brother. Leo glared off in the distance. _I will protect my family. That samurai won't mess with us ever again._

* * *

Mikey whimpered a bit as he backed away from Dogpound, the newly mutated dog running his sharp claws against the metal of the mutagen tank. "Uh, maybe you need a day or two to get to know the new you, Dogpound." Mikey chuckled nervously.

Suddenly, Dogpound roared and grabbed Mikey around his middle, lifting the struggling turtle into the air. "I feel the mutagen coursing through me." Dogpound's voice took on a raspy, sinister tone. "I'm faster, stronger, more powerful than ever! I feel like a ninja again!"

"Plus you don't have zits, which is a bonus." Mikey frowned at the bumps on his skin.

"To thank you for this, I'll make your end swift." Dogpound hissed, throwing Mikey towards the wall. Mikey quickly threw his kusarigama and hooked it around a rafter, slowing his speed so his back zits didn't get crushed and cause him to explode. Sighing in relief, he dropping to the ground and retracted the kusarigama chain. But he gulped at the feeling of his bulges moving again. He glared at Dogpound as he approaching, roaring.

"Rawr yourself, you razor-faced dog!" Mikey snapped.

"Don't ever call me dog." Dogpound snarled.

Mikey smirked. "You got it, Rahzar."

Roaring, Rahzar lunged for Mikey, swinging a set of claws around towards the Turtle.

A sai blade hit his paw, forcing him to stop.

"Get away from my brother!" Raph shouted as he kicked Rahzar aside.

Leo and Donnie quickly pulled Mikey aside and to safety, Donnie making a mental note about Mikey's condition worsening. "Oh, hey guys." Mikey said with a knowing smirk, seeing how he was right all along about Baxter's location.

His brothers were less than amused. "You're lucky we noticed you were gone in time, Mikey!" Leo snapped.

"Even luckier that I knew you'd come here." Raph added. "What were you think—" He grunted in pain as Fishface slammed into him, sending him to the ground.

"Fishface!" Donnie yelped, staring at Rahzar lunged for them again.

"Scatter!" Mikey urged, the three of them quickly dodging Rahzar and his claws.

"Um, so what happened to Dogpound?" Donnie gulped.

"Ha, he got double-mutated." Mikey laughed. "Now I call him 'Rahzar.'"

Rahzar roared, indicating one of the reasons for the name, and Leo appeared with his katana. But his blade bounced off the bone on Rahzar's head, and the mutant dog smacked him aside. Donnie spun his staff and ran into the fight with a furious battle cry, only to meet a similar fate. In fact, Rahzar used him to smack Raph aside when the red-banded Turtle lunged from above.

"Donnie! Raph!" Mikey cried. He caught sight of the centrifuge, dangerously close to Rahzar's foot. "The centrifudge!" He lunged and scooped up the device, aiming to jump over Rahzar's head. But the mutant dog swiped a paw and Mikey lost his grip on the centrifuge, flying to one side and slamming into the ground. Things only got worse as Fishface suddenly engaged Raph in a fight and Baxter summoned his Mousers, leaving Mikey to fight Rahzar all on his own.

And by fight, that means running away screaming.

Mikey managed to ricochet off the wall and the mutagen tank, hanging off the rafter above and staring down at the battles below him. "Guys! I'm bursting at the seams. And Rahzar's gonna pop me!" He jumped down as Rahzar lunged for him, landing with his back close to the wall and Rahzar blocking his escape. "Not good, not good!" He looked around for something, anything to help him, and he noticed what looked like a pipe attached to the wall. Following its path, he realized it was a large electrical cord attached to the mutagen tank. Something clicked in Mikey's head, and he smiled. "I just sorta had an idea. Here, boy! Good dog!"

Rahzar snarled as he lunged, stabbing his claws forward. Mikey screamed, but at the last second ducked away and caused Rahzar's claws to hit the outlet where the cord attached to the wall. Sparks of electricity shot out, and Rahzar roared as he was electrocuted.

"Yeah!" Mikey cheered. "You just got shell-shocked, son!"

"Everyone, to high ground!" Donnie urged. "Now!" The four Turtles jumped up to the rafters, the highest ground in the room, and once Donnie saw all his brothers safe he broke open the fire sprinklers. The water rained down onto their opponents, causing the electricity to shock all of them. The Mousers exploded, and after several seconds of electrocution the two ninjas and Baxter collapsed.

"Dude! I'm about to pop and I think we destroyed the centrifudge!" Mikey cried.

"Don't be so sure." Raph smiled, revealing the completely intact centrifuge much to Mikey's delight. The four Turtles hurried off back to the lair, leaving their enemies to bask in their defeat.

After several minutes, Baxter felt something cold and metal tap against his face, and he looked up to see a sword at his nose. Following the sword to its owner, she discovered Karai.

"Rise and shine, Stockman." Karai ordered, much to the man's frustration. Karai looked around to the mutagen tank and her two unconscious comrades-in-arms. She smirked at Baxter. "You're working for me now. Well, me and the Shredder. Let's move."

* * *

It took Donnie about half an hour to mix the antidote, much to Mikey's growing concern and impatience. But once he finished, he dropped some of it on a couple acne pads and announced "Antidote's ready, Mikey!"

"Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme!" Mikey pleaded, the mutagen zits grown even larger. He hurriedly took the acne pads and began rubbing the antidote all over the bulges on his head, arms, and shell, much to the amusement of his brothers.

"Did you have to put the antidote on those acne pads?" Leo asked Donnie, fighting a laugh.

"No, but it is hilarious." Donnie whispered.

It took a minute or two of rubbing, but finally the zits either shrunk down to nothingness or dried up and burst to dusting of turtle skin. Soon, Mikey looked completely back to normal.

"It worked!" Mikey cheered with a laugh. "Look at me! Yeah, boy! I'm super cute again!" He hurriedly hugged his tallest brother. "Thanks, Donnie! You're the best!"

"I owe you an apology, Mikey." Leo said. "For what I said about Kuro."

"It's okay." Mikey shrugged. "You're right. She's probably never coming back, and I should probably get used to that."

"But you were right." Leo said. "There are some things that Kuro does that we should do too."

"Run away and never come back?" Raph asked in a snarky tone.

Leo rolled his eyes. "No. Accept each other for who we are. The good—" He rubbed Mikey's head. "—and the goofy."

The boys straightened as Splinter entered the lab, a relieved smile on his face. "I must commend you on your resolve, Michelangelo. You thought you need to improve yourself, but you had everything you already needed inside. In here." He put a paw to Mikey's chest, over his heart, earning a huge, goofy smile from the youngest turtle.

_I won't forget that. Ever. _Mikey assured. He turned with a smirk towards his brothers. "See, guys? Who was right about Baxter's secret hideout, huh?" Splinter rolled his eyes and shook his head, still smiling.

"You had no clue." Leo smirked.

"Oh no!" Donnie gasped. "Mikey, you-you have a zit forming on the end of your nose!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Mikey screamed. "NO! WHY?!" But when he looked, he gave a few shocked whimpers to see Donnie had been messing with him. His brothers laughed, clearly amused when Mikey was not. "Donnie, I'm gonna…." He roared as he lunged for them, tackling the three Turtles to the ground. The four of them wrestled about on the lab floor, shouting and laughing while Splinter just shook his head.

_Things certainly seem to have gotten louder since Kuro's leaving. _Splinter noted. _Still, it's not like they were quieter when she was around._

* * *

Kuro's black ninja clothing allowed her to perfectly blend in with the shadows as she searched for Haiiro. But her normally determined attitude was beginning to diminish. She stopped calling for Haiiro a long time ago, starting to lose hope. She finally stopped in an alleyway, slumping against the wall and sliding to the ground. She curled up into a ball and buried her face in her arms.

_I'm sorry, Haiiro. _Kuro thought. _I'm so sorry. I wish I never came back to New York City. I wish I could do something to make this right._

What could she do? She could spend a year searching the city and may never see her cat again. What were her parents thinking now? Surely they were worried for her, especially since she was gone this long without contacting them besides the email she wrote to let them know she arrived safely, along with the email she sent to Nagi about Shredder. Could she just leave now? Go back home? Without her beloved pet?

Did she have a choice?

Kuro sighed, slowly standing and brushing off her pants. But as she was turning to leave, she paused at the sound of something moving behind her. Turning slowly, she saw some loose trash on the ground that wasn't there before. Narrowing her eyes, Kuro put a hand on her sword and slowly began walking towards the dumpster. Her footsteps fell silently, the konoichi instinctively going into full ninja mode.

There! A shadow shifting in the darkness cast by the dumpster. Kuro's grip tightened on her katana hilt, her muscles tensing. She saw the shadow begin to move, but she moved first. In a swift movement, Kuro grabbed the shadow by its throat and pinned it to the wall, drawing her katana and putting it under the shadow's chin. Now revealed in the light, Kuro saw she held a teenaged girl, barely older than 13. Her skin look pale but with some hints of pink. Her mop of hair was short-cropped and colored a smoky gray, which shined in a youthful way. Her eyes were wild with fear, but something compelled Kuro to stare into them. They shined a pretty bright blue color….with cat-eye pupils.

Kuro's eyes widened. "Haiiro?"

The girl blinked, then sighed. "Hello Kuro."

Kuro jumped back, causing Haiiro to hit the ground. The cat-now-human stood, staring sadly at Kuro. Now that the ninja got a good look, she could see Haiiro really was a human, about a foot shorter than herself, but retained many of her cat-like qualities. Notably, the sharpened claw-like nails on her hands and feet, the cat pupils in her eyes, a pair of cat ears on her head instead of human ears, her gray-furred cat tail sprouted from her tailbone, and there were three lines across her cheeks that looked very much like whiskers. Her hair still held the same smoky gray of Haiiro's fur, and her eyes were still a bright blue.

Haiiro stared at the ground, looking ashamed. "Kuro, I—" She gasped when Kuro suddenly hugged her tightly, and she felt a wave of relief. Sighing, the mutant cat hugged Kuro just as tightly.

"Oh Haiiro!" Kuro laughed, holding her part-feline friend out at arm's length to look at her. "You're okay! You're okay and you're alive and you're…" She looked down and then giggled. "Not wearing any clothes."

Haiiro shrugged, obviously not bothered by the fact that she was completely naked. "I started out as a cat, Kuro. I did not wear clothes anyway."

Kuro giggled, pulling her backpack off her shoulders and grabbing her jeans and jacket from inside. "Here. Put these on and we'll get back to camp."

Haiiro blinked. "Really?"

"What? Did you think I'd leave without you?" Kuro shrugged.

Haiiro stared at the ground. "But I have been mutated, Kuro. I can no longer be a part of your normal human life."

"Hey, if I can live with mutant turtles and a mutant rat for months, I can live with a mutant cat." Kuro assured. "Besides, you look really cool! You look like one of those cute anime cats; Mom and Dad can accept that. And you're a teenager!"

Haiiro looked down at herself. "Well, in cat years I am only a teenager. And I guess I could look worse." She smiled softly. "I do look a little cute."

"Is that why you stayed away for so long?" Kuro asked as Haiiro slipped the jeans on. "You were afraid of what I'd think?"

"I wanted to protect you." Haiiro said, pulling on Kuro's jacket. "I couldn't risk you touching the mutagen. When I discovered I was truly mutated, I chose to stay away so you could have the normal life you wanted."

Kuro smiled softly. "My life isn't whole unless my best friend is in it with me." Haiiro smiled warmly, her mouth opening to reveal cat canines. She and Kuro hugged again, but she let go to pull the jeans back up. They didn't necessarily fit due to the size and her tail. Kuro giggled. "Come on. Let's get you some proper clothing and get back to camp. It's been a long night."

Haiiro smiled. "I would like that. But are you sure your parents will approve of me?"

Kuro still smiled as she draped her arm across Haiiro's shoulders, the two of them walking off and back to their temporary home. "They would be fools not to. Besides, how many people can say they have a sister who's part cat?"

Haiiro's smile grew, and she rubbed her head under Kuro's chin with a purr. Kuro giggled furiously, hugging Haiiro tightly. The two of them laughed as they continued home, the cold night air not bothering them in the slightest.


	6. Target: April O'Neil

**Episode 6: Target: April O'Neil**

Karai already knew she was in major trouble after her previous plan to eliminate the Turtles ended badly.

Scratch that, ended in complete and utter failure.

Ergo, she wasn't the least bit surprised nor fearful when Shredder ordered her to his throne room to video chat with her about said failure. Currently, the konoichi knelt on the floor, bowing her head in respect as one of the Mouser robots projected Shredder's image before her.

"_So, daughter."_ Shredder seemed to spit out that second word like a foul piece of fish in his mouth. _"Not only do you disobey my orders in my absence, your petty scheme failed miserably."_

Karai frowned. "It was those stupid Foot Bots. They couldn't keep up with the Turtles. But one good thing: the Kraang have been upgrading them, so—"

"_Hear me, Karai." _Shredder interrupted. _"You will have no more dealings with the Kraang until I return."_

Karai wanted to argue; more than anything, she wanted to show her father that she knew what she was doing. But she bowed her head in resignation. "Understood, Father."

"_Wait for my command, and do not defy me again." _Shredder ordered in a dark tone. _"The consequences would be…unfortunate."_

Karai's fist clenched and she narrowed her eyes, but she did not raise her head until the Mouser powered down and Shredder signed off. She looked up and glared at the spot her father's image once rested in. "I'll show you. I'll show you how powerful I am. Kuro always believed in me. Now it's your turn."

Not ten minutes later, Karai walked through one of the Kraang's secret bases with a Foot Bot on either side of her. She knew not to take her father's threats lightly, but she also knew this was something to be done. She marched into the main room, where the Kraang continued to work on their latest project. Karai walked up to the platform two of the droids stood on, pressing a button on the floor to open the dome-like structure on top. In a wave of smoke, either released from the airtight dome or just for dramatic effect, the project was revealed as a robot ninja dressed in black pants, a red tunic, spiked shoulder pads, leg wraps, and a helmet and face mask.

"Not bad." Karai smirked. "How soon until it's online?"

The Kraang beside her answered. "By Kraang's calculations, nine Earth hour units before—"

"Nine hours?" Karai snapped. "I want to test it on someone _now! _And I've got the perfect target, too: April O'Neil." The konoichi noticed an instant reaction from the rest of the Kraang in the room, a mix of fear and surprise on their faces. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with that?"

The Kraang before her began twittering a bit. "Kraang sees no…..foreseeable problem, one called Karai."

"Good." Karai smirked. "Now let's speed up the process. You don't want to keep the Shredder waiting, now do you?"

* * *

April stared at the ground as she walked home, focusing more on the sounds of the city around her so she didn't have to think about what was going on in her life. But the more she tried to focus the more difficult it became. Everything that happened to her still took its toll, but she was starting to get a little lonely with only Irma and now Casey to hang out with. She hadn't seen Kuro since their brief meeting, and she never tried to tell the guys that she was back. Besides, if Kuro was only here temporarily, what was the point? Sometimes she took out her T-phone to think about texting one of the guys, but every time she touched the shell-shaped piece of technology she only became angry again.

Still, she had to admit that her life got pretty quiet without those goofballs in her life.

April paused, getting the strangest feeling someone watched her. But when she looked around, she saw no one. Still suspicious, she continued to walk until she took a turn down an alleyway. There was that feeling again, accompanied by the slightest sounds of movement.

Whipping out her tessen and taking a strong ninja stance, April prepared for battle. "I know you're following me! Come out so I can see you!" Nobody came, but April could see something in the miniscule space between two trashcans ahead of her. So she threw the tessen, the metal weapon curving like a boomerang and smacking a familiar Turtle out from his hiding space with a pained yelp.

"Donnie?" April gasped, then frowned angrily.

Donnie tried to play it cool. "Funny, us both passing through this shady back alley at the same exact time, huh?" He chuckled nervously as he picked up April's tessen and walked over to hand it to her. "So, um…..h-how have you been?"

April swiped the tessen from Donnie's hands. "Oh, you know, the usual. Homework, chess club, dealing with a father who turned into a homicidal mutant bat!"

Donnie cringed. "April, it wasn't completely our fault! But I'm sorry that—"

"Not as sorry as I am!" April snapped. "I want to be left _alone_, Donnie. No more talking mutants in my life._ I never want to see you again_." She turned and began marching off, but Donnie's call made her pause.

"April?" Donnie looked down. "Some things are just beyond our control."

April didn't answer, her conversation with Kuro echoing in her head. But she continued walking off, leaving Donnie to only sigh and return home. As he dragged his feet coming into the lair, he vaguely noticed Raph threatening to punch Mikey as the younger Turtle disappeared inside his shell. Coming up to his brothers, he half-reluctantly joined them in watching TV. It was more of the new Japanese anime they liked, this time with the princess leaving the team because they forgot her birthday. The scientist character seemed the most crushed.

"Whoa, dude." Mikey breathed. "This show, like, totally paradoxes your life. Kinda owie in the _corazon. _That means 'heart.'"

"It's 'parallels' and it does not, okay?" Donnie huffed. "It's just a cartoon."

"Besides, the princess has quit the team, like, twenty-seven times." Leo shrugged. "She always comes back."

"Unlike the girls in our life." Raph sighed. "Let's face reality. April's gone for good. We'll probably never see her again. Just like Kuro and Haiiro." The guys silently sighed in sadness, knowing Raph spoke the truth.

Donnie looked down. "I'll….be in my lab." He trudged off, leaving his brothers to continue watching the show.

"You know, before Haiiro left I bought her a toy mouse filled with catnip." Leo said with a soft smile. "Totally forgot to give it to her and just the other day I found it again."

"I miss Haiiro." Mikey sighed. "She used to bathe our heads in the morning with her tongue. It was so cute."

"Yeah, but I wish she could've left us smelling like something better than tuna." Raph huffed, but gave a small smile.

"Guys!" Donnie's call made them jump. "We have a problem!"

* * *

Kuro ran across the rooftops of the New York City buildings, her backpack slapping against her back now and then but not enough to slow her down. She continued to run for several minutes, flipping and kicking off walls, fire escapes, and billboards as she went. Finally, she arrived at the gate to Chinatown and stopped, taking a moment to catch her breath. Looking around, she frowned in confusion to see her companion did not join her.

"Not bad. But you're a little slow."

Kuro jumped a little, but smiled as she turned to see Haiiro casually resting on the edge of the building, smirking at the human konoichi. The feline/human now wore Kuro's ninja shirt and pants, only with a hole cut in the backside of pants to let her tail through. Haiiro giggled as she stood, approaching Kuro. "And how long have you been sitting there?" Kuro smirked.

"I arrived only a few minutes before you did." Haiiro replied, smiling broadly.

"All right, you're pretty good." Kuro mused. "You've got the speed and strength of a ninja." She unshouldered her backpack and tossed it aside, taking a strong stance. "Let's see if you got the skills of one."

Haiiro still smirked, also taking a stance. Kuro moved with the first blow, aiming a fist for Haiiro's head. The mutant feline easily dodged it and threw her own punch, blocked by Kuro. The two exchanged blows for a while, Kuro steadily increasing the skill level, speed, and strength. Haiiro matched her blow for blow, easily blocking and retaliating the strikes. After a few minutes, Kuro stopped and her smile grew from ear to ear.

"Did I do well?" Haiiro asked, flashing her canines in a warm grin.

"Well? You did great!" Kuro complimented. "You've got quite the ninja skills, Hai-chan."

"I spent much of my down time watching you all train." Haiiro shrugged. "I picked up on a few things."

"More like a lot of things." Kuro laughed, as did Haiiro, and the Japanese teen shouldered her backpack again. "Come on. Let's get going."

"Are we going to see the Turtles and Splinter?" Haiiro asked.

Kuro began walking, but paused at Haiiro's question. "No, we're not. We're going to the store to find snacks for the plane ride home."

Haiiro blinked in surprise. "But we have not seen the Turtles yet. Are we not going to visit them?"

"Of course not." Kuro shook her head. "What on earth gave you that idea?"

Haiiro stared, then frowned. "Kuro, it is time you start being honest with me."

"What are you talking about?" Kuro demanded. "And quit talking all proper-like; you're only thirteen years old."

"Do not make this about how I speak." Haiiro growled a little. "This is about you and your decision to come back to New York. I assumed we came back because we were to see our family again."

"Well you assumed wrong." Kuro huffed. "Now let's go." But she hardly made it two steps forward before Haiiro leaped in her path, glaring. "Haiiro, this isn't funny."

"You are right; it is not funny at all." Haiiro agreed. "Why are we here? What was the point of coming to New York if not to help the Turtles?"

"We helped." Kuro assured. "We pounded on some Kraang while we were here. Now we're done and we're going home."

"This is our home too." Haiiro insisted.

"Not anymore." Kuro growled, her fists clenching. "We belong in Japan, with my mom and dad and my friends."

"'We' belong? Or 'you' belong?" Haiiro asked.

Kuro glared at Haiiro, but the feline/human mutant matched her gaze. "Haiiro, you are sorely mistaken if you think I came here to see the Turtles again. I _never _want to see them again."

"Based on your actions in the past few weeks, I would disagree." Haiiro huffed.

"Too bad." Kuro moved to walk past Haiiro, but the mutant cat suddenly grabbed her arm. "Let go."

"Not until you tell me what you are thinking!" Haiiro snapped. "Why come to New York and not see the Turtles? Why hide from them?"

"You are making the same assumption as April, and that I wanted to come to New York to actually see them again." Kuro growled. "Well I don't! I don't ever want to see them again!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want them in my life anymore."

"That is a lie."

"No, it's really not."

"Kuro—"

"Don't start with me, Haiiro!" Kuro finally jerked her arm free of Haiiro's grip, glaring at the cat mutant. "This is the choice I made for myself! I chose to accept my normal life, and that life doesn't involve talking mutants. You are the only exception."

"Kuro, they miss you." Haiiro insisted.

"No they don't!" Kuro screamed. "They can't possibly miss me! You think that after what I did to them, they actually want to see me again?"

Haiiro fell silent when she realized what Kuro just said, and Kuro looked away. The Japanese teen's fists clenched tightly, but after a moment she relaxed, almost in defeat. Haiiro tentatively approached Kuro and put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Kuro?"

Kuro sighed. "April was right. I abandoned them. I just left them all behind without a note or even a goodbye. I tore Mikey's heart to bits and then burned the pieces. What will they all say if I come waltzing through the door? They're not going to welcome me back with open arms; they'll hate me. I know they do."

Haiiro stared at Kuro, noticing how afraid and vulnerable the raven-haired teen seemed. In all the time she knew Kuro, she never saw her so emotional. "Kuro, what if you are wrong?"

"I'm not." Kuro shook her head. "I know how it feels to get your heart broken. It's not a pain that leaves you." She sighed, then moved away and past Haiiro. "I need to be alone for a while."

"Kuro, please consider going back." Haiiro pleaded, staring after the girl.

Kuro paused, standing on the edge of the roof, and then turned to stare sadly at Haiiro. "I didn't come back to be with them again; I came back to make sure they forgot about me. We'll be going back to Japan soon enough." With that, she jumped off the edge of the building and disappeared.

Haiiro sighed softly. "Oh Kuro…."

* * *

Leo kept his foot on the gas as they sped through the streets of New York on the Shellraiser. Donnie continued translating the message he got from the Kraang communicator, looking over symbols and numbers that greatly confused his brothers.

"From what I could translate from the orb, it seems the Kraang are building some kind of advanced, heavy weaponry." Donnie reported.

"Any guess what it could be?" Leo asked.

"Ooh!" Mikey raised his hand excitedly. "Lasers disguised as burritos! Yes! It all makes sense now."

Raph and Donnie stared at him. "It _does _make sense." Raph spun around to frown at his brother. "If you have the brain of an avocado!"

"All right, guys." Leo called to calm them down. "Stay focused. We find the weapon, and we destroy it. And then we get Mexican…pizza."

* * *

April wasn't sure she wanted to go home yet, and she didn't feel like hanging with Irma. Oddly enough, time with Casey Jones actually sounded good right now. Especially after the day she had been having. So she made her way to the Midtown Ice Rink where, sure enough, Casey was practicing his hockey skills. As April watched him skillfully make his way across the ice and score powerful shots, she had to admit that for a blockhead he certainly had some skills.

Casey allowed the force of his last shot to send him slowly skating backwards, and he at last became aware that he had an audience. "Red? Ah, I miss a study session again?"

"No, I'm just here to hang out." April said with a kind smile, one Casey couldn't remember ever seeing on her.

Casey smirked, this time with less haughtiness than before. "With the infamous Casey Jones?"

April smirked back. "Unless you only like me for my trigonometry."

Casey chuckled. _Okay. She's pretty cool for a nerd. _He skated a little closer to her. "So what's your deal? I never see you hanging out with anybody. Antisocial much?"

April's face fell. "Not really. I had five really close friends. One of them moved away and the others…I don't talk to any of them anymore."

"It happens." Casey nodded in musing, skating off again to shoot another puck. "Me and my best friend Nick were up against Tromatown in last year's playoffs, right? He came up behind me just as I was about to sink the winning goal, and wham! Smacked his helmet straight off." Casey looked pretty proud at first, but then his face fell. "Swollen face….split lip…my best friend since second grade. Never spoke to me again."

"But it's not like you meant it." April reasoned.

"Right." Casey confirmed. "Some stuff is just beyond our control." April looked down, remember Donnie saying those exact words. Casey exited the rink, putting a somewhat toothless smile on his face. "Give me a sec to grab my gear. We can get something to eat. Pizza."

At the mention of the almost iconic Turtle food, April's face fell again as she watched Casey disappear. She took out her T-phone, scrolling through her contacts until she found Donnie's picture. Was it possible that she was being too hard on them? After all, Kuro was right; if her father hadn't shielded her from the mutagen, then _she _would've become the homicidal mutant bat. And even if she did, the guys would never stop trying to help her, making sure she would be okay. Donnie continued to search for a retro-mutagen, just to help her and every other mutant creature the Kraang hurt.

_Some things are just beyond our control._

"Donnie." April sighed.

Suddenly, an explosion sent debris and dust towards April and she flinched. Looking up, she discovered part of the ceiling and two Foot Soldiers before her. "Foot Soldiers?" April breathed. She glared as she drew her tessen, the two enemy ninjas drawing swords. She skillfully dodged their strikes as they bounced around her, swinging their swords and lunging with their fists and feet. But the redhead managed to avoid every blow, Splinter's training very much ingrained in her muscle memory. But she didn't expect the two Foot Ninjas to suddenly sprout another set of arms with weapons on the ends instead of hands.

"Didn't you guys use to be human?" April gulped. She pushed off the ground and rolled backwards over the railing to the ice rink, launching herself off the wall and across the ice. She wobbled a bit as she tried to rise, but so did the Foot Bots until they adapted to the new environment and began smoothly skating towards April. The teen stood ready, unsure how she could get away but not willing to give up.

"Yo!" Casey shouted from the other side of the rink. "If there's one thing Casey Jones has, it's crackerjack timing."

"Casey, run!" April urged.

Casey smirked as he jumped over the rink wall, still in his hockey gear. "What, so you get all the fun?" He smoothly skated towards the ninjas, smacking two hockey pucks so that they flew into the air, curved around, and slammed into the Foot Bots' faces. The robots hit the ice and slid away. "I got 'em! You go!" Casey urged, dropping another puck.

April hurriedly punched one of the Foot Bots before it could rise. "No, _I _got 'em. _You _go!" She ducked as another ninja swiped its blade at her. She hoped Casey would just listen to her for once, not wanting the boy to get wrapped up in the freaky side of her life. But Casey suddenly body-slammed the Foot Bot advancing on April, making it clear he was going to fight.

"Cross checking. Two minutes!" Casey laughed. He swiped another robot's legs from under it. "High sticking! It ain't a penalty if they deserve it, right?" But he yelped when the same Foot Bot swiped his legs, sending him to his back on the ice. The Foot Bot lifted a large mace, only for April to throw one of the hand scythes into the bot's head and disable it. Casey smirked. "You got some rink rage, Red."

April smirked with her hands on her hips. "You should see me play Ping-Pong."

Casey smirked as he stood, but then stared at April with confusion and worry. "So, you owe these guys money or something?"

They jumped when four more Foot Bots appeared out of nowhere, also wielding multiple weapons and quickly adapting to the ice. "Or something." April said. "Casey, just go. I didn't mean to get you into this."

Casey's smirk returned. "Are you kidding me? Do you know what this is? This is Casey Jones versus Evil Robo Ninjas. Coolest freakin' thing in the universe!" He suddenly skated forward, jumping and raising his hockey stick. "Goongalla!"

April wanted to shout in terror, but blinked in surprise instead. Before her eyes, Casey began battling with the Foot Bots and holding his own surprisingly well. He used his hockey stick like a staff, easily blocking their attacks. But soon, one of the Foot Bots managed to slam him against the wall and slice his stick in half, rendering it useless. April quickly slid/skated forward, sliding underneath the Foot Bots like sliding into home base, and she noticed they immediately turned their attention on her.

_They're after me. _April realized. "Hey, Foot Bots! You want me? Come and get me!" She stood and took off and out the doors, most of the robot ninjas following.

"April!" Casey shouted, quickly grabbing another hockey stick. He turned back to his opponent, who was soon joined by two more. "Nice. Now the fight's fair. Eat this!"

* * *

April ran as fast as she could, too focused on running to actually fight. _Oh great! _The redhead thought as she darted from her chasers. _Now I've gotten Casey mixed up in this? What next? _She ducked down an alleyway and dived behind a dumpster as the Foot Bots threw several kunai knives. Thinking quickly, April jumped up the knives like stepping stones to reach the fire escape, pulling up the ladder so the robots couldn't climb after her. She barely paused as she stampeded up the stairs to the roof, resorting to running along the rooftops for a while. But she soon found some of the Foot Bots cutting off her escape route and jumped down to the fire escape, swinging across the metalwork like a monkey until she could land on the ground. Once again, she took off running without looking back. But, once again, Foot Bots appeared in her path. She turned to run, but found herself in an alleyway with robots on either side of her, blocking all escape. She looked all around, but there wasn't even a fire escape nearby for her to jump onto.

_Oh this is so bad. _April thought as she pressed herself against a cement wall. The Foot Bots closed in on her, reaching out to grab her.

Suddenly, a furious yowl rang out and something kicked two of the Foot Bots away and into a dumpster. April jumped when a figure landed between her and the remaining Foot Bots, standing protectively in front of the teen. April couldn't give heads nor tails of the figure's identity, seeing how s/he dressed in black ninja pants, shirt, and a hood and mask. But something did catch April's eye: the grey-furred tail sticking out of the back of the ninja's pants. But she didn't have time to really think about it before the ninja lunged for the other Foot Bots, taking them out with ease. April took off running again, but she found the tailed ninja running behind her.

"Thanks for the backup, whoever you are." April said, jumping when the ninja took down more Foot Bots. April dived behind some trash cans, peering out to see the ninja fighting off more of the Foot Bots. "Whoever they are, they might not last long. I need help." She pulled out her T-phone. _And there's only one person to call. _She quickly pressed the speed dial for Donnie's number.

"_Hello, this is Dona—donni….." _Donnie's voiced stuttered a bit on the other side of the line.

"Donnie!" April cried hurriedly. "Remember how you said sometimes things are out of our control? You were right!" She cried out and ducked as a small scythe blade came inches from her head, and she hurriedly crawled under the Foot Bot's legs to continue running. "Things are really out of control right now!"

"_Hold on, April!" _Donnie's voice called. _"I'll be right there!"_

April hung up and tucked her phone away, putting on more speed. She looked back once and managed to catch sight of the ninja again, but the black-clothed figure disappeared soon after. _At least I have a little backup until Donnie and the guys get here. _Turning her gaze forward, April began running to the one place she knew the guys would find her: the park.

* * *

Kuro walked around the city for about an hour or so before her feet unconsciously led her Murakami's restaurant. Her stomach grumbling, she figured this would be a good place to hang out for a while. Pushing open the door, she found the entire place deserted. "Hello? Murakami-san?"

"Hello?" the blind chef called from behind the counter. "Oh, so sorry, but we are closed now."

"Oh." Kuro cringed a little. "Sorry. I'll leave."

"Wait." Murakami called, coming towards Kuro. He seemed to stare at her, even though she knew it couldn't happen. "Is that you, Miwa-chan? Sister to the Turtles?"

"Yeah." Kuro nodded. "Only my name's actually Kuro."

"Oh!" Murakami smiled. "I suppose I can cook one more meal. Come in!" He locked the door and flipped the sign to "Closed," allowing Kuro to take a seat at the counter. He began cooking again, smiling warmly. "So how have you been? You haven't joined the Turtles in their coming here for a while."

"I've been with my parents in Japan." Kuro explained.

"I see." Murakami nodded. He chuckled. "Well, not really."

Kuro giggled. "I wish you had a shop like this in Tokyo. I've missed coming here."

"I have missed hearing your stories." Murakami said, coming forth with a bowl of miso ramen. "So you have returned to the Turtles now?" Kuro looked down, slurping up some of her noodles. Murakami frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Kuro shook her head. "It's….complicated."

"I have a free ear, two of them, actually." Murakami said with a smile. "I'd be happy to listen if you would like some advice."

Kuro wasn't sure at first. She wasn't one to tell her life story to semi-strangers. But at the moment, Murakami was kind of a third-party opinion that wasn't exactly biased to a certain side. So Kuro told him about finding her parents and how she left the Turtles, leading up to her coming to New York. Murakami listened intently, nodding now and then, but didn't say a word.

"I'm afraid that if I try and go to the Turtles again, it'll only lead to an awkward or tense situation." Kuro finished. "I think it would be better if I just went back to Japan, but somehow I can't. It's like something's keeping me rooted in the spot, and I can't decide if I need to go to Japan or go to the Turtles."

Murakami nodded in understanding. "Why do you want to leave the Turtles?"

"Because I can't have a normal life with them in it." Kuro shrugged. "And I'm happy having a normal life."

"Are you?" Murakami asked.

"Yes." Kuro nodded, speaking with complete surety.

"Then, is it that you are not happy when you are with the Turtles?" Murakami asked.

Kuro thought for a moment. "No, they make me happy."

"But you do not go to them." Murakami said. "Because now it does not make you happy."

Kuro listened carefully to what Murakami said. "Well, no. Right now, it doesn't seem like they'd make me happy. Moreover, I don't think they'd be happy if I came back. I kind of hurt them really badly when I left."

"If they are true friends, they will accept you, yes?" Murakami guessed.

Kuro looked down. "I don't think so."

"It would seem your problem is how you can be happy with everything and everyone in your life." Murakami concluded.

"That would make sense." Kuro shrugged. "But it's not like I can. Not with the decisions I've made."

"You do need to think about your past, but do not dwell on it." Murakami said wisely. "We know why you are having trouble: you want to be happy, but don't know how."

Kuro thought about it for a while, truly pondering the concept to make sure it was true. "Yeah. That sounds about right."

"Then this is what you must do: ask yourself what would truly make you happy." Murakami said. "Only when you know this can you know what decision to make."

Kuro allowed the words to wash over her. "What would truly make me happy? I think I know the answer already, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid to make the wrong choice."

"That, my dear, is a risk we all must take at many points in our lives." Murakami assured. "And it is a risk you will have to take to ensure your happiness, only after you decide what it will take to attain it." He reached across the counter and took Kuro's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "And most of all, you must be brave enough to stand by your decisions no matter where they lead you."

* * *

It didn't take long for April to reach the park, but much longer than she would've liked. The relentless Foot Bots continued to chase her, only now that they had a bit more space they could quickly surround her. April glared, drawing her tessen.

"Fine. You want a fight?" April unfolded the fan, but suddenly a Foot Bot dropped down behind her and wrapped his four arms around the girl, successfully trapping her. She struggled fiercely, staring fearfully at the Foot Bot advancing towards her, but jumped when a blade suddenly stabbed through the robot's chest and forced it to collapse. A familiar, now very much angry, Turtle stood behind it. "Donnie!" April gasped happily.

Donnie quickly and effortlessly smashed every Foot Bot that came within striking distance, even slamming on into a swing, before lunging towards the one that held April and stabbing it through the head with his naginata blade. The destroyed and now headless Foot Bot released April as it fell.

"Took you long enough." April sighed as she scooped up her tessen.

Donnie looked more worried about April's wellbeing, but inside he was happy she wasn't yelling at him. "I'm sorry. I had to figure out your coordinates with the T—whoa!" April flinched when a black shuriken suddenly stabbed into Donnie's staff, and they turned to see yet another familiar face marching up to them, her own naginata in hand. "Karai." Donnie breathed.

"Well, I was hoping for all the Turtles to see this." Karai mused as more Foot Bots joined her. "But I guess one's good enough." She twirled the naginata and glared at her opponents. "Your rat master took away someone I cared about." She hardly noticed Donnie and April exchanging confused looks, still glaring at them in hatred. "So I'm returning the favor."

Donnie glared back as he stood in front of April, holding his naginata ready. He had to shake the Foot Bot head off it first, but melted into a strong fighting stance. Karai lunged for them, but Donnie met her head-on. April looked around for the ninja who previously helped her, but the tailed warrior seemed to have disappeared without a trace. So she turned her attention back to Donnie as he successfully beat Karai back to her Foot Bots. But the konoichi looked undeterred; in fact, she looked almost amused.

"Stay away from April!" Donnie ordered.

Karai frowned now. "Foot Bots, keep the turtle busy." The robots obeyed, lunging for Donnie while Karai leaped off a few of them and landed before April. "This is between us girls."

April glared as she unfolded her tessen, ready to fight. Karai spun her naginata and swung the blade to April, only for the redhead to block it with her own weapon. Karai kicked a foot forward, hitting April's stomach and sending her to the ground. But she managed to move just as Karai stabbed the naginata down towards her head. April kicked a foot up, missed, and jumped to her feet while throwing her tessen, which also missed.

"Your skills are weak, April." Karai sneered, blocking a punch from the girl. "I've had years of training." She shouted in pain as the tessen suddenly bounced off her head, landing in April's waiting hand.

April smirked, fanning herself a little. "You talk too much."

Glaring and now almost snarling, Karai lunged once more. This time, April found she couldn't quite block the hard blows from the girl and fell to the ground. She flinched with a scream as the naginata blade came towards her, only for Donnie to appear to block the strike.

"You're not gonna touch her!" Donnie growled, spinning his staff. He smacked the naginata from Karai's hands before repeatedly striking her with the staff. Finally, he sent a hard jab that pushed Karai to the ground, much to her shock at the Turtle's sudden aggression. But a loud whirring caught her attention, and the Foot Clan konoichi smirked as the Kraang's latest robot ninja appeared.

"Um, Donnie, I'm thinking retreat." April suggested with a small whimper in her tone.

Karai pushed herself to her feet and flipped over to the robot. "Like my new little toy? Robot, eliminate the girl."

The robot's gaze turned to Donnie and April, more specifically April. Donnie shouted in effort as he lunged, but the robot caught his staff and shoved him aside. April tried to turn and run, but the robot sent his whip forward and it wrapped around her stomach and arms, pulling her forward and into the metal ninja's grip.

"Let me go!" April demanded, slightly fearful at the sound of the whirring and beeping coming from the robot.

Suddenly, a voice came from the robot. _"System override. Do not destroy April O'Neil. Capture for the Kraang."_

Even Karai looked surprised. "What?" She took her naginata as the robot began flying off, slicing off one of its rockets to force it come down again. Unfortunately, as it landed, it dropped April roughly on the ground. The robot stood and turned to Karai, and suddenly the konoichi felt a twinge of nervousness.

"_Threat detected." _The robot said. _"Eliminate threat."_

Donnie quickly approached April. "You okay?"

April looked up and smiled, a sight Donnie couldn't have been happier to see. "For once, I'm actually glad the Kraang want to kidnap me." They jumped at the sound of a pained grunt and turned to see Karai not exactly holding up well against the Kraang robot. It effortlessly knocked her to the ground before turning to April and Donnie. The purple-banded Turtle drew his staff, but hardly moved before the Shellraiser came screeching around the corner and rammed into the robot, sending it into a wall.

"Oh yeah!" Mikey whooped. "Firing manhole covers! Eat it, Chrome Dome!" He fired several of the heavy metal disks, but the robot suddenly sliced through them with laser eyes before using its whip to grab Mikey and throw him aside. Then the robot proceeded to lift the Shellraiser and send it tumbling to one side with Raph and Leo barely making it out in time.

"Aw, I just waxed her too." Leo groaned at the sight of the now-scratched up Shellraiser. The Turtles and April regrouped, turning to stare as Karai's "new little toy" suddenly began fighting her and the Foot Bots.

"Dude, I so want plasma chucks!" Mikey smiled. "Donnie, can you hook a turtle up?"

Donnie stared at the robot for a moment before he noticed sparks coming from the back of the machine. "Guys, I think I know how we can take that thing down."

"Oh, are you on this team?" Raph sassed as he ran into battle, referring to Donnie ditching them while they were at the Kraang lab.

"Yeah, way to ditch us, dude!" Leo scolded.

"Go easy on him, guys!" April called as the Turtles ran into battle. "If it wasn't for Donnie, I would have—" She grunted in pain as Karai suddenly kicked her to the ground.

"I don't need that stupid robot to finish you." Karai smirked, lunging again.

"April!" Donnie cried.

"I'll help April!" Leo assured. "You guys take down—"

"Chrome Dome!" Mikey announced. He, Raph, and Donnie turned as the robot, Chrome Dome, finished the last of the Foot Bots. The Turtles prepared themselves, then ran into battle. They landed a few hits, dodging the robot's plasma sword, until Mikey could elongate one of his nunchaku chains and wrap it around the sword. He tossed his other nunchaku to Raph, who wrapped the long chain around Chrome Dome's wrist. Donnie jumped onto the robot's back, prying open the control panel to find free access to the wires inside. He grabbed a handful and pulled, blinking in concern as Chrome Dome began twitching. He began spinning out of control, taking the Turtles with him as they desperately held on for dear life. Mikey and Raph suddenly let go and bounced across the ground, Chrome Dome's sword stabbing into the ground. Eyeing the plasma weapon, Mikey suddenly got an idea. Taking the weapon in his hands, he charged for the robot while dodging his nunchaku chains. Smirking in triumph, he stabbed the blade right through Chrome Dome's chest and permanently shut it down.

Karai kicked April aside, dodging the tessen as it flew by, but didn't expect Leo to suddenly come from above and kick her to the ground. As she rose, Leo put a sword to her nose. "It's over, Karai." The eldest Turtle growled.

"For now!" Karai corrected, smashing smoke pellets at her feet and disappearing in the haze.

Mikey took the sword from Chrome Dome's chest and stared at the purple-pink blade. "Whoa! Can I keep it? Can I keep it?" He began bouncing excitedly, accidently swinging the sword and almost taking off his brothers' heads. Donnie and Raph glared at their younger brother, causing him to chuckle nervously and drop the sword.

April sighed, still kneeling on the ground. Her adrenaline rush was beginning to wind down, and she felt the full weight of her tiredness. "That wasn't too difficult."

"All right, easy does it, April." Leo soothed, helping the girl rise. "It's over now."

"I just need to catch my breath." April gasped a little, staring at the Turtles as they grouped around her. She smiled softly, a feeling of nostalgia washing over her at the sight of their smiles. _Gosh I really missed these guys. _"Thanks, guys. I just wanted to say—" April gasped. "Oh my gosh! I forgot about Casey!" She took off, leaving the Turtles to stare after her with confused looks.

"That's what she wanted to say?" Donnie blinked.

* * *

April hurriedly pushed the doors to the ice rink open, ready to fight again and preparing herself for the worst. But she jumped in surprise to see Casey very much unharmed, stabbing his hockey stick into the last standing Foot Bot's head.

"And _that _is how you play hockey." Casey smirked.

"Casey! Are you okay?" April cried, jumping over the railing and into the ice rink. She yelped as she slipped and slid across the ice, right into Casey's arms.

"Of course I am." Casey shrugged, not seeming tired in the slightest. "Whoa, steady there, Red."

April laughed and sighed, smiling up at Casey. _He's all right. Thank goodness. _"Sorry you had to go through that, Casey."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Casey shrugged. "This was pretty fun. You okay?"

"I'm fine." April nodded. "Terrific, even."

"Great." Casey nodded. "And just to clarify, no more of those bozos are coming after you?"

"Nope." April shook her head.

"Good." Casey nodded again. "How about we go get that pizza I promised?"

April looked to the ice, still smiling. "You know, I think we should reschedule. There's something I have to do."

* * *

April never thought she'd miss the subway and sewer tunnels that led down to the lair, but she found herself giggling now and then as she took the familiar pathway there. When she entered the Turtle lair, she discovered her four of her favorite mutants sitting in the pit watching TV. April felt a sense of nervousness, wondering if the guys could truly forgive her like she now did for them. But she pushed past the fear as she walked through the turnstiles.

"Hey guys." April greeted softly, drawing the boys' attention to her.

"April!" Leo greeted warmly, the boys standing.

"You're back!" Raph cheered.

"What up?" Mikey greeted with a smile.

Donnie only offered a smile, which April gladly returned this time. At the sound of swishing fabric, she turned and smiled wider at the sight of Master Splinter. "It is very good to see you, April." The rat master said with a warm grin.

"I missed you, Master Splinter." April admitted. "I hope we can start training again soon."

"Of course." Splinter's reply came without hesitation, as did his bow. "Whenever you wish."

April returned the bow before turning to the Turtles. "I never got a chance to tell you guys that I'm sorry…for everything."

"You're sorry?" Leo repeated, confused. "But we were the ones that screwed up."

"It was an accident; and, more importantly, you're my friends." April assured. "I don't ever want to hold a grudge ever again." _Just like I hope Kuro won't either, and that she'll return to the guys._

"You da best, April!" Mikey smiled, jumping closer to the redhead. "To mark this day, I offer you the Slice of Eternal Reunion."

April took a good look at the pizza slice Mikey held out for her. "It has lint and dead bugs all over it."

"I know." Mikey shrugged. "I just found it under my bed. It's eternal." He hugged the pizza slice to his face as though it were a teddy bear. Then he stuffed the entire slice in his mouth, much to April's disgust.

Donnie mostly stared at the ground, but looked up when April suddenly approached him. "Thanks, Donnie. For always being there, even when I didn't want you to be." She jumped up a little to wrap her arms around Donnie's neck in a tight hug. Donnie tensed, but quickly returned the embrace. April smiled warmly and kissed his cheek, causing the Turtle's eyes to go wide and then his entire expression turn dreamy. He almost fell over, but managed to keep his cool and stay standing while his family laughed/chuckled warmly at his expense.

April looked down. _I have to tell them. They have every right to know Kuro returned, even if she already went back to Japan and even if she ends up hating me for telling them. _"And now, I have one more thing to tell you guys."

At her serious tone, everyone turned to stare at April worriedly. "What is it, April?" Splinter asked.

"It's something I found out a while back." April said, rubbing her arm nervously. "And even though I promised I wouldn't tell, I think you guys deserve to know."

"Know what?" Donnie asked now, his dreamy trance broken.

April sighed. "It's about—"

"Look out!" Donnie suddenly cried, wrapping his arms around April and pulling her aside. April jumped with a small scream as a kunai knife flew past her, impaling the practice dummy instead of her like it should have. Everyone whipped around to the entrance of the lair, and their eyes widened in shock.

"No." Leo breathed. "It can't be."

Shredder's samurai stood before them, his dragon mask sending chills down everyone's spines.


	7. Truth At Last

**A/N: To the guest reviewer who corrected me on Karai's weapon, thank you for the clarification! Also, I cannot guarantee that the next chapter will be updated soon because I'm going through a busy and difficult time in my life. But enjoy this chapter that explains a lot of things!**

* * *

**The Truth At Last**

Once they all got over the shock of having an enemy in the lair, the Lotus Clan ninjas each took a fighting stance to face said enemy. Meanwhile, the samurai just stood there and stared at them.

"Sensei, that's the guy we were telling you about!" Leo warned. "The samurai that keeps fighting us!"

"April, how could you let that guy follow you?" Raph snapped.

"I didn't!" April assured. "You know how careful I am when I come to the lair. I checked a dozen times, and this guy wasn't following me at all!"

"Doesn't look like he's alone, either." Donnie noted, and suddenly everyone realized the samurai did indeed have a companion: a smaller figure in a traditional ninja outfit, complete with a hood over their face to show only their eyes.

Leo stepped forward, katana ready. "What do you want?"

The samurai didn't answer for a moment. Then, he pointed to Mikey.

"Forget it, Dragon Boy." Raph growled. "You're not getting our brother, and you're not leaving here in one piece!"

"Come on, guys, I can take him!" Mikey protested.

"Mikey, he fought each one of us and won." Leo reasoned, still glaring at the samurai. "If he wants you, he's gonna have to go through us!" He, Raph, Donnie, and even April lunged towards the samurai and his companion. The black-clothed ninja stepped back as the samurai suddenly drew a katana from his hip. Spinning the blade with ease and striking hard and fast, the samurai beat back each of his opponents without effort. Splinter lunged as well, but the samurai blocked his strikes and his companion kicked Splinter back.

"Great, he's got a friend _and _he's armed!" Raph groaned. "Now what?"

The samurai and his ninja companion stared at their opponents. The samurai raised his sword and pointed it towards Mikey for a moment before melting into a strong fighting stance.

"Guys, let me take care of this." Mikey said, glaring in determination as he readied his nunchaku.

"Mikey, if he beat us all back, what makes you think you can win against him?" Donnie demanded, sounding worried.

"I have to try." Mikey said firmly. "If he wants me, he can try and beat me. Besides, we can't let them leave the lair."

Splinter kept his eyes trained on the enemies in the lair but his ears on his sons. Mikey was right; even if the samurai and his companion beat them all, they couldn't let them go for any reason. If this really is an ally to the Shredder, then they were all in great danger. It hurt him to think about just letting his youngest son go into a fight alone, but if it bought them some time to think of a plan…

"Michelangelo." Splinter spoke up, drawing the rest of the Clan's ninjas to him. "Are you sure you wish to do this?"

Mikey focused his glare back on the samurai. "Positive."

Splinter took a silent breath and let it out slowly. "Very well. We will be right here if you need us."

Leo, Donnie, Raph, and April thought for sure Splinter was crazy. Then again, Mikey always had a sort of goofy flair to his fighting style that constantly confused his opponents. Perhaps this samurai wouldn't see it coming.

"Go for it, Mikey." Leo nodded.

"Take him down." April chimed in, her encouragement echoed by Donnie and Raph. Mikey nodded, stepping forward a bit and spinning his weapons. Everyone stepped back, including the samurai's companion, as the samurai twirled his weapon and prepared to fight.

The two opponents remained still for a tense moment, eyes locked.

They lunged.

Mikey quickly redirected his trajectory, the samurai's blade narrowly missing his arm. He turned as the samurai jumped and back flipped, blocking the warrior's blade with the chain of his nunchaku. They pushed apart, only to run back into battle again. The rest of the Lotus Clan ninjas watched, their muscles tense, praying that nothing happened to Mikey as he fought. But the youngest Turtle seemed to hold his own quite well against the samurai. The two moved so quickly it was getting more and more difficult to track their movements: a swift punch, blocked, sweep the legs, jump up again, the swish of a blade as it almost hits flesh, the clanging of metal on metal, another punch, followed by a kick, both blocked, and more. Mikey wouldn't admit it, but he was beginning to feel the fatigue set in, especially after fighting again so soon after a battle with the Foot. But he refused to give up; he knew he had to win, no matter what. But there was something about the samurai that bothered him.

The samurai jabbed his sword, which Mikey managed to dodge. But the strike turned out to be a fake-out, and Mikey found he was unprepared for the firm side kick to his stomach. He flew backwards, hitting the turnstiles and then the ground.

"All right, no more sitting around!" Raph leaped into battle, only for the samurai's ninja companion to intercept the red-banded Turtle and throw him aside. Donnie, Leo, and April moved in, only to meet a similar fate. Splinter moved for the samurai, but the armored warrior threw some kunai and forced the rat to pause and deflect the smaller weapons.

"Stop!" Mikey suddenly shouted, making everyone pause. The young ninja stood, glaring with a ferocity none of his family could remember ever seeing before. "This is _my _fight. Stay out of it." Before anyone could respond, he leaped back into his fight with the samurai. Out of shock by his words and actions, his family couldn't exactly move or speak a response.

Mikey's strength seemed to grow, fueled by his determination. Still, he couldn't shake that strange feeling he got as he fought with the samurai. There was something so familiar about him. It wasn't because he saw the samurai fight Leo; it wasn't the samurai's fighting style; it certainly wasn't the samurai's looks. So what was it? What could it possibly be?

The samurai continued to swing his sword, forcing Mikey to abandon his thoughts of déjà vu and continue the fight. He blocked each swing of a sword and strike of a foot or fist, but the attacks came in such a rapid succession he didn't have time to attack back. His eyes widened a fraction of an inch as the katana blade came towards his face, but he managed to hold up his nunchaku chain in time to block the strike. The samurai pressed the blade down, as though trying to push through the chain, but Mikey grit his teeth and kept his weapon between him and the blade.

The black blade.

Mikey's eyes widened again. "That's it…" He suddenly kicked a foot up and knocked the black-bladed katana from the samurai's grip. His brothers and April cheered for him as he lunged for the samurai. He grabbed the warrior by the front of his armor, tearing off the samurai's mask…and pulling him forward to kiss him.

Immediately, the entire lair (and perhaps the entire sewer system of New York) went silent as everyone stared at Mikey locking lips with the samurai. "I think he's lost it." Raph finally said.

Mikey pulled away, smirking. The samurai huffed and shoved him back, pulling off his…..no, pulling off _her _helmet. Her long black hair fell free around her shoulders as she frowned at the orange-banded Turtle. "Okay. That is _so _not fair, my Mikey." Kuro huffed, tucking her loose hair behind her ears.

"Neither is you dressing up like a samurai and attacking us." Mikey shrugged.

Kuro smirked. "Touché." She jumped when Mikey suddenly ran forward and pulled her into a tight hug, her helmet dropping from her grip.

Mikey fought back tears of joy, squeezing Kuro tightly to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "It's you. It's really you. You came back."

Kuro blinked, hardly realizing Mikey lifted her off the ground. "You….missed me?"

"Of course I did!" Mikey laughed, gently setting Kuro down. But that's when everyone finally got over their shock and the entire Lotus Clan came over to hug Kuro, voicing their warm welcomes. Kuro found herself giggling of all things, still a little surprised by the reception.

"It is good to see you again, Kuro." Splinter said with a warm grin. He looked to Kuro's companion, as did everyone else. "And who is this?"

The ninja giggled, pulling off the ninja mask to reveal a young teenaged girl with smoky gray hair, lines on her face that looked like whiskers, and a pair of cat ears sticking out of her head. That's when everyone noticed she also had a grey cat tail and her sparkling sapphire eyes had cat pupils. "I suppose you do not recognize me in this form, but I am Haiiro." The feline/human said, bowing.

"No way!" Donnie laughed. "_That's _Haiiro?"

"Got hit with mutagen, didn't ya?" Raph guessed, causing Haiiro to giggle and nod.

"But when did that happen?" Leo asked. "And when did you guys get to New York?"

"And why come back?" April asked, remembering her argument with Kuro.

Kuro looked down. "It's…well…."

Mikey didn't stop smiling the entire time, and he put an arm around Kuro's shoulders. "How about we sit down and chat? I'll make some of my delicious cocoa."

Kuro smiled softly. "Okay."

Several minutes later, everyone gathered in the pit with a mug of hot chocolate, listening to Kuro tell them about her life in Japan and her adventure in New York while sparring with the Turtles and Haiiro's mutation. The boys, April, and Splinter listened with fascination, soaking in the warmth of the moment and secretly praying this wasn't all just a dream. But it couldn't be denied: Kuro really had returned. As she told her story of her life in Tokyo, however, the younger ninjas began to wonder what on earth made her want to return, and how she knew about the Kraang and the Foot Clan coming back.

"I guess if I wanted to fight with Mikey, I could've waited until you came back to the surface instead of scaring you out of your shells by coming down here." Kuro laughed.

"Yeah, that would've been nice." Leo nodded in agreement.

"So, why _did _you come?" April asked. "I mean, why finally reveal yourself now after being here for so long? Weren't you planning to go back to Japan?"

Kuro looked down, her face falling. Suddenly the taste of her cocoa seemed bitter on her tongue. Haiiro scooted closer to her human master, giving the Japanese teen's hand a squeeze. "Kuro. You can trust them. We are a family, and we accept each other."

Kuro looked to Haiiro, then to everyone else in the room, and sighed. "Well….the truth is…I didn't want to come back at all." Everyone went silent, staring at Kuro and allowing her to continue. "It's just…..I loved my life in Japan so much. I-I got to be with my father and mother for the first time in all my life. I made new friends; I went out to eat; I was homeschooled by my mom; I could go shopping whenever I wanted and didn't have to worry about getting attacked by aliens or mutants or enemy ninjas. It was such a perfect life." She paused, staring into her mug. "I guess I got so wrapped up in my new life I forgot about the life I had here in New York. When I started thinking about it again, it seemed so….foreign. I became so accustomed to my new, normal life that I believed my old, messed-up, crazy life was in my past. It felt like that part of me belonged in the past and not in my present life. Before I knew it, weeks went by without me contacting you. Then a month, then two. Whenever I tried to write an email or send a text, I could never figure out what the heck I was supposed to say. Then, I decided I didn't want anything to do with my old life; I wanted to immerse myself fully into my normal life. So I severed all ties I had with you guys. I made the decision to never contact you or think about you ever again.

"Then one day, my father came to me. He gave me the samurai outfit you see now, a blend of my ninja and samurai heritage. He told me about how the Kraang had returned; believe it or not, those guys did make the news now and then. My dad gave me this armor and told me that you guys might need all the help you can get to beat the Kraang once and for all. But, knowing that, he told me it was just an option to go back; that if I wanted to, and because it was my choice, I could go back to New York or stay in Japan. I wasn't about to change my mind, so I put the armor away and decided I would stay in Tokyo with my family and friends. But…." Kuro's grip tightened on the mug she held, and she began trembling a little. "But….I couldn't stand the guilt…..days, then a week passed, and with every passing hour I found the guilt weighing heavier and heavier on my shoulders. I knew the fight wasn't truly won. I knew I was supposed to go back and help you all win against the Kraang. But I didn't want to go back. I wanted to stay with my normal life and forget about all of you." Her knuckles began to turn white from gripping her cup, and Leo gently took the mug away before she could break it. Kuro's fists clenched, and she glared at the ground. "Then a thought came to me: did you guys forget about me? Were you living your lives as contently as I was? What if you were still thinking about me? I thought for sure it couldn't be the case; after all, I wasn't with you for very long, certainly not as long as April.

"No matter how hard I tried to convince myself, there was still that voice in the back of my head reminding me that there was a possibility you guys _hadn't_ forgotten about me. I knew the only way I could continue living my normal life was to make sure you didn't remember me. So I came back, with the explicit intention of returning to Japan in the near future. I watched you all, making absolutely sure that none of you thought about me." Kuro couldn't stop it now; the tears began, streaming down her cheeks and dripping to the floor. "But I was wrong. You hadn't forgotten about me. In fact, you _missed _me. And…and I soon found out….I missed you too…" Kuro wiped her eyes on her sleeve, but the tears didn't stop. "_And I hated it. _I hated that you guys missed me. Because it meant I couldn't go back to my normal life. I hated that I found out I still missed you, because the guilt began to weigh even heavier. I hated that I suddenly had to make a choice. Because I knew no matter what I chose, I would still be unhappy."

Kuro's voice cracked, and she suddenly broke down into sobs. The rest of the room remained quiet, knowing she still wasn't done. But everyone wanted to stop her; they wanted to comfort her and let her know everything would be all right. Even so, they could sense there was something more Kuro had yet to reveal.

Sniffling, Kuro took in a shaky breath. "The fact of the matter is, I love both of my lives. I love my old life, the life I spent with you guys here in New York. I love my new life, the life I spent with my parents and new friends in Tokyo. Both lives made me happy, and I wanted to stay that way. Don't I deserve that? I know I'm sounding selfish, but after everything I went through for _fifteen years, _don't I deserve some true happiness? More than anything, I want to have both lives. I want to have both my freaky, mutant life and my normal life. But I don't know how. It's not just the distance physically. It's that I don't know how to combine both worlds into one. I have to choose one or the other, but I _don't want to do that. _I want both…but…..I….I just can't…"

Mikey suddenly pulled her into a hug, quickly joined by the rest of the ninjas in the room. Kuro went silent, staring at the ground with watery eyes. After a few minutes, everyone separated, but Kuro kept crying silently.

"Kuro?" Mikey's voice caused the girl to look up. The youngest Turtle smiled warmly. "You _can _have both." Kuro stared at him, looking surprised. "I'll tell you what: stay in New York. Help us fight the Kraang and beat them back to whatever hole they came from. Then, after the final battle is won and we save the world once and for all, go back to Tokyo to your parents and friends. Live with them and be happy, and we'll come visit you."

Kuro blinked, her tears slowing. "You…..you will? But how?"

"Hey, if you can sneak onto a plane to Japan and back, so can we." Raph shrugged.

"I'm sure Dad and I could work something out." April assured. "You know, after we change him back from being a homicidal, mutant bat."

"Then you can have both of your lives." Mikey reasoned.

"It's just that right now, we need your help here." Leo added. "What do you say?"

Kuro looked around to each of the Lotus Clan ninjas, and a small smile spread across her lips. She wiped her eyes dry, sighing. "You guys are the best."

"Hey, we're a family." Donnie reminded her.

"Family stays together." Splinter said wisely. "We do what is best for one another, even if that means making sacrifices or learning how to deal with a long-distance relationship."

Kuro nodded. "I won't forget that. It's funny. Dad told me that once too." She brightened up. "Oh yeah! Hold on, I'm going to grab my laptop!" She took off towards her room.

"When did you put your stuff back in your room?" Raph called after her.

"About an hour ago!" Kuro laughed, disappearing. She returned a minute later carrying her laptop, sitting back down with her family. "I told Dad I would video chat with him when I made my decision to stay or leave. He and Mom have been dying to see you guys and talk to you."

"So your parents know about mutants and they're okay with that?" Donnie asked, sounding a little nervous.

"You guys are family. Of course they're okay with it." Kuro said, calling her parents. Two rings later, the screen popped up to reveal Oroku Nagi's and Miho's faces.

"_Hello Kuro dear!" _Miho greeted. _"It's been a while since we heard from you."_

"I know, sorry about that." Kuro laughed, albeit nervously. "But I've finally made my decision: I'm going to stay in New York and help fight the Kraang."

"_That's my girl." _Nagi nodded, smiling proudly. _"We'll be waiting anxiously to hear of your victory. And your return, I hope."_

"Of course." Kuro nodded. "I wanted you to meet everyone." She turned the computer around, and the Turtles gathered in front of the camera. "These are the Turtles. That's Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello."

"_My, my." _Miho smiled. _"What handsome young…uh, turtles!"_

"It's nice to meet you." Leo said, bowing.

"So _you're _related to the Shredder?" Raph asked, staring incredulously at Nagi.

Nagi laughed. _"Does my brother still go by that name? We've been calling Saki that since we were boys!"_

"I have to admit, kinda hard to believe that Shredder has relatives, especially nice ones." Donnie said.

"_Yes, my brother can be difficult to get along with." _Nagi mused. _"To be honest, it's still a little hard to believe my daughter has been living with real-live mutants."_

"It certainly makes for an interesting life." Splinter spoke up, and Kuro turned the laptop towards the rat master. "It is good to see you again, Nagi-kun, Miho-san."

"_It is so good to see you as well, Yoshi-kun." _Miho said with a warm smile. _"Nagi and I were so overjoyed to hear you survived the fire. And you took very good care of our daughter. Thank you."_

"Even if I didn't believe her to be my daughter, it would've changed nothing." Splinter assured.

"Oh, you need to see two more people." Kuro spun the laptop around to April and Haiiro. "This is my friend, April."

"Nice to meet you." April greeted warmly.

"And that's Haiiro." Kuro pointed to her mutant cat.

"_Haiiro?" _Nagi blinked in surprise.

"_She mutated, didn't she?" _Miho, oddly enough, didn't sound surprised.

"There was a slight mishap." Haiiro shrugged. "I hope you can still accept me like this."

"_I see no reason why we couldn't accept you." _Nagi said. _"Listen, Kuro, Mom and I have to get back to work soon. We're on our lunch break now."_

"Okay! Everyone say 'bye!'" She turned the computer camera all around, letting everyone wave and voice their goodbyes. "I'll email you all the details later."

"_Just keep in touch, all right?" _Miho requested. _"We like to know what's going on with our baby girl."_

"Mom." Kuro whined, still smiling.

"_And Michelangelo." _Nagi spoke up, causing Mikey to move into the camera's line of sight. _"You better treat our daughter well. If you don't, you'll have to deal with a master ninja and a master samurai."_

Mikey laughed a little until he saw the serious looks on Kuro's parents' faces. "O-okay."

"Daddy!" Kuro intoned. "Okay, I'm hanging up now. Bye!"

"_Bye!" _Miho and Nagi waved, smiling warmly. Kuro rolled her eyes with a laugh as she hung up, closing her laptop.

"Your parents seem really nice, Kuro." Leo complimented.

"Which still seems strange, considering you're all related to Shredder." Raph pointed out, only for Donnie to bop him on the head.

Kuro laughed. "Yeah. Well, that's my life for ya."

"So, you're gonna stay here in the lair again, right?" Mikey asked excitedly. "You and Haiiro?"

"If you will have us." Kuro shrugged.

"You don't even need to ask." Splinter nodded. "We will need to find another sleeping space for Haiiro."

"Do not worry about me." Haiiro bowed her head a little. "I will find a space in Kuro's room."

"Perfect." Kuro nodded. She jumped a little when Mikey pulled her into another hug.

"It's good to have you back, Kuro." Mikey sighed happily.

Kuro melted into the embrace, smiling warmly. "You know what? It's _really _good to be back."

* * *

Kuro couldn't deny it when she woke up the next morning and saw herself in her room at the lair: she enjoyed being back in New York. Now that she resolved such a heart-wrenching problem, she felt like her very soul weighed as much as a feather. In fact, she even began giggling a little as she rose from her bed. Haiiro, curled up in a nest of blankets in the corner, rose and stretched. She looked around the room and gave a wide smile, showing off her canines.

"We truly have returned." Haiiro sighed.

"Yeah." Kuro nodded. "Come on. Let's get out to breakfast before the guys begin to doubt yesterday's events." Haiiro nodded and the two of them journeyed into the kitchen where, sure enough, the boys had gathered to make breakfast.

"See? I told you guys yesterday wasn't a dream!" Mikey cried triumphantly as he cooked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Raph rolled his eyes. "Forgive us for being skeptical."

"I'm not surprised." Kuro admitted, sitting at the island with the rest of the boys. "I was a little surprised to see myself here. But something told me everything would be all right."

"Oh really?" Donnie asked.

"Well, it might be my heightened mental abilities." Kuro shrugged. "I've always had these almost psychic-like powers, but since my contact with Mutagion, I've found they've gotten stronger."

"Nice!" Leo chuckled. "It's almost like you're a mutant too. Which would make sense, given our family. You ready to beat down on some Kraang?"

"The next time they show their ugly mugs, I'll be ready to give them a beating they'll never forget." Kuro punched her palm. She paused, but Mikey suddenly came with everyone's breakfast and set plates before everyone. Kuro dug into her food, much like the others, but her mind focused on a thought that popped up. _I suppose I should tell them. I mean, if I don't tell them and they find out on their own, they're gonna be real upset. But how do I bring up such a sensitive subject? It's not like I can blurt it out now. Right? Or can I? We _did _bring up the topic of our enemies, after all._ Kuro looked around to each of her brothers. "Um….."

"Hey guys!"

Kuro jumped a little and everyone turned as April came into the kitchen, smiling broadly. "Good morning, April." Haiiro greeted warmly, still using a somewhat formal tone that sounded a little unusual coming from a thirteen-year-old mouth.

"Hey Haiiro." April gave the cat/human a hug. "You know, while I'm going to miss you in your cat form, I am really enjoying how well you mutated. You look like one of those cute anime characters with the animal ears."

"I am working really hard on the retro-mutagen." Donnie informed the gray-haired girl. "Once I'm done, we can change you back."

"For now, I am quite happy in this form. But thank you." Haiiro gave a small bow.

"Anyway, I came down to invite Kuro and Haiiro out for some shopping." April said. "I wanna get Haiiro some clothes of her own; clothes we can change to make room for your tail or even to hide the tail and ears so you can go to the surface."

"You do not have to do that." Haiiro said humbly.

"Yeah, save your money." Kuro said.

"No, it's okay." April assured. "I saved my allowance for a while. Besides, I want to make it up to you for our argument from before. You were going through a lot of stuff and had some big decisions to make, and I didn't take that into account while I was shouting at you." April took Kuro's hand and smiled wider. "Come on, let's go out and shop. Let's hang out and do the things we used to do all the time when you still lived here. It'll be like you never left."

Kuro smiled. "Okay. Let's do it!" She wolfed down the rest of her food before standing up from her seat. "Hang on; I think I have a hat or something we can use to cover Haiiro's ears with."

"I brought one of my long skirts." April said, holding up a folded piece of clothing. "Go change and we'll go!"

"All right!" Haiiro laughed, taking the skirt and jogging back to the bathroom to change.

"Hey, be back before patrol!" Leo called as the girls made their way towards the exit. "You and Haiiro are totally coming with us."

"Will do!" Kuro called back. _I'll tell them while we're on patrol. Or maybe afterwards. What are the odds we run into them anyway?_

* * *

Haiiro was initially nervous about going up to the surface during the day, but with her tail hidden by April's skirt and her ears hidden by one of Kuro's beanies, she found she could really enjoy her time with the girls. She tried to insist that she didn't need much, but April insisted on buying at least two or three outfits for her. Kuro assured her that she could keep the ninja outfit for patrol nights, so April helped the feline/human pick out her own long skirt to hide her tail along with a couple pairs of yoga pants to cut up for her time at home. Along with matching shirts, she even found a couple bandanas for hiding her ears or just to keep her hair back.

"I really wish you had not gone to so much trouble." Haiiro said, swirling her tea around in its glass.

"You're a part of the family. It was my pleasure." April assured. "And you look fantastic!"

"I'll have to agree with you there." Kuro nodded. The three of them sat at a café for lunch, Haiiro constantly fiddling with her clothes. She currently wore a long, swishy black skirt that hit her ankles, giving her plenty of cloth to hide her tail. Her shirt was a short-sleeved, silvery gray V-neck with a white camisole underneath. A black-and-white bandana kept her hair back and ears pinned down and her short silver boots had just a little bit of heel to give her height but still be comfortable. April even found her some underwear and a sports bra for the feline-turned-human. While Haiiro still wasn't accustomed to wearing clothing (being a cat and all), she soon found that the clothes gave her warmth that her fur would've given her if she still had it.

"This turned out to be a good day." April noted, sighing contently.

"Yeah." Kuro agreed. "This was great. I'm glad we could spend some time together. Especially after what happened."

"Hey, don't worry about it." April assured. "I think we both said some things we aren't proud of. But it's in the past."

Kuro smiled warmly. Haiiro laughed softly. "It is so good to see such a wonderful smile on your face, Kuro."

"I'm just glad I was able to work everything out." Kuro shrugged. _Well, at least I hope I got everything. _"I already get stressed out enough from homework."

"I can understand that." April laughed. "I have to tutor some hotshot kid in trig."

"Ooh, sounds fun." Kuro said sarcastically. The girls laughed, continuing to chat and laugh with each other. Kuro kept on smiling, without a care in the world, and soon she forgot about that very important thing she wanted to tell the Turtles.

* * *

"Booyakasha!"

"Man, it's good to hear that again!" Kuro laughed as the Lotus Clan ninjas leaped across the rooftops. The Japanese teen dressed in her samurai/ninja gear once more, even the mask, and whooped and laughed alongside her brothers. Haiiro joined them, dressed in Kuro's ninja gear minus the hood. Her tail flicked now and then, her ears erect and alert. The six ninjas laughed, continuing their run as they patrolled the city. Kuro couldn't deny it felt so good to be doing it again, especially after so much time away from the Turtles.

_I made the right decision. _Kuro realized with a warm smile. _Finally._

Finally, the six of them skidded to a halt on a rooftop, panting but still smiling. "Not bad." Leo complimented his sister. "You haven't lost your touch."

"It'll take more than weeks away in Japan for me to lose my touch." Kuro said, removing her mask. "Besides, I kept training with Mom and Dad."

"Man, I _still _can't get over the fact that you're actually related to Shredder." Raph sighed. "It's kinda freaky."

"I guess." Kuro nodded. "Although I suppose from your points of view, it would just seem weird that Shredder has a family."

"So, your dad _is _nice, right?" Mikey asked. "I mean, we don't have to worry about him coming after us?"

Kuro giggled. "He's _very _nice."

"Nagi is a very kind and humble man." Haiiro said. "Very much the opposite of Shredder."

"Does he talk to Shredder at all?" Mikey asked. "Like, nicely?"

"Yeah, can ya imagine?" Raph laughed. "Thanksgiving dinner at the Shredder house?"

"He could carve the turkey with his claws." Leo joked, causing laughter amongst the ninjas.

Kuro looked down, not exactly joining in. _Maybe now would be a good time to tell them. If I wait too long, I may not get a good chance to tell them._

"Kuro?"

Kuro jumped a little, realizing she dazed off and her brothers and cat stared at her. They looked concerned. Kuro smiled, albeit nervously. "Yeah?"

"What's going on?" Leo asked. "You're acting kind of strange."

"Still in shock over returning?" Haiiro guessed.

"Sort of." Kuro bobbed her head. "Um…it's just that…..I have something to tell you guys….."

"What is it?" Mikey asked, looking even more concerned.

_Geez, this is _not _going to be easy. _Kuro took a breath, and let it out in a huff. "Well, it's actually regarding Shredder. It's just…..it might come off as strange….."

"Kuro, you live with mutants." Donnie reminded her.

Kuro laughed. "Yeah. I guess…okay, here it goes. But don't hate me, deal?"

"Just tell us already!" Raph half-snapped.

Kuro bit her bottom lip. _I tell them…they'll either hate me or understand completely…..probably the former. Well, here it goes. _"I decided that I—"

"Foot Clan! Attack!"

The Lotus Clan ninjas whipped around to discover Foot Bots landing around them on the rooftop. Karai, Fishface, and Rahzar joined seconds later, smirking darkly. "Hello again, Turtles." Karai greeted in a snarky tone. "Ready for Round Two?"

"You bet we are." Leo assured, the Turtles drawing their weapons. Haiiro took a strong fighting stance, brandishing her claws threateningly. But Kuro hardly moved save for staring in shock.

"Ready to get back into action, Kuro?" Mikey asked excitedly.

"I can't." Kuro said suddenly, causing most everyone to stare at her in surprise.

"I'm sorry, come again?" Donnie asked.

"Sorry guys! You're on your own!" Kuro suddenly put her mask back on, running towards the edge of the roof. She jumped off, flipping down to the fire escape and disappearing. Everyone stared after her for a moment.

"Did she just…..bail on us?" Raph asked, flabbergasted.

* * *

Kuro sat curled in a ball in front of the TV. Though the television wasn't on, she still stared at her reflection intently. She currently dressed in her pajamas, her samurai gear strewn about her room. Her mind wandered, mostly to what she did.

"Damn it to hell." Kuro muttered, only mildly surprised by her cursing. She never cursed, not even a little bit. At this point, she didn't care. "I am so dead. They are going to kill me."

"Why's that?"

Kuro involuntarily let out a scream, jumping up to her feet and spinning around. She sighed at the sight of Splinter, but her heart pounded heavily in her chest. "I forgot how much you like to do that."

"Is something wrong?" Splinter asked. "I thought you were with the boys and Haiiro on patrol."

Kuro looked down. "Something happened. We kind of ran into the Foot Clan and—"

"What in the shell was that all about?!"

Splinter and Kuro turned to see the Turtles and Haiiro returned, the boys looking quite steamed. "Granted, we took those guys out in seconds and were able to get away no problem." Leo admitted. "But you totally ditched us!"

"I'm sorry!" Kuro said, almost helplessly. "I didn't have a choice."

"Um, you could've chosen to _not _ditch us!" Donnie snapped.

"I tried to tell you guys sooner but I never got the chance to!" Kuro protested. "And whenever I _did _get the chance, something interrupted us!"

"The chance to tell us what?" Leo demanded. "That you're actually rejoining the Foot Clan?"

"I'm not rejoining the Foot Clan!" Kuro snapped. "But…I can't fight them."

"Why not?" Mikey asked.

Kuro sighed. "Because I promised I wouldn't. I've declared neutrality in the battle between the Lotus and Foot Clans."

"Neutrality?" Haiiro repeated, confused.

"It means anytime you guys go into a fight with the Foot, you go in without my assistance." Kuro explained. "I'll gladly help you guys pound the Kraang and even the Purple Dragons, but the Foot are technically off-limits."

"You're not serious." Donnie said hopefully. But at Kuro's dead serious look, the Turtles' jaws dropped. "You _are _serious? Why would you want to _not _attack the Foot? Shredder is our enemy."

"Shredder is many things, but for me he is first and foremost my family." Kuro explained. "Not to mention he's kind of the only family I have left, especially on my dad's side. I'm not thrilled about what him kidnapping me, but I was taught to never give up on family. So I'm not going to give up on him."

"Kuro, your reasoning in understandable." Splinter said. "I, too, have instilled an importance of family in my teachings to the boys. But we need you; we'll need all the help we can get to defeat Shredder and the Foot once and for all."

"Please, Kuro." Mikey half-begged. "We need your help."

"I already told Karai I wouldn't attack the Foot." Kuro said. "She, in turn, promised the Foot would never attack me."

"You expect her to follow through with that?" Leo scoffed.

"She's my sister. She won't hurt me." Kuro insisted.

"But Kuro—" Donnie protested.

"It's been decided!" Kuro shouted. "I made my decision and I'm going to follow through with it." With that, she turned and marched off into the kitchen, glaring hard. The rest of the ninjas stared after her, clearly conflicted. They understood her reasoning, but that didn't change the fact that they needed her to help fight their enemies.

Kuro muttered a bit as she rummaged through the cupboards, pulling out a tea kettle. She filled the kettle and set it on the stove, turning on the burner before searching for the tea bags.

"Hey."

Kuro turned to see Mikey appeared. "Hey Mikey. Look, if you're here to try and change my mind—"

"Nah. That would be a fight I couldn't win." Mikey shrugged. "You're pretty stubborn like that." Kuro didn't answer as she finally found the box of teas and shifted through the tin, pulling out a bag of oolong. She stood by the stove, waiting for the kettle to whistle. Then she felt a pair of arms wrap around her stomach as Mikey pulled her into a comforting hug. "Look, I don't agree with what you're doing. I feel like if you're going to not attack the Foot, you could always just _not _attack Shredder and Karai. But it's your decision, and I'm not going to let that change my feelings for you."

Kuro turned to Mikey, smiling. "Thanks, Mikey."

Mikey smiled back. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" He hurried to another cabinet and pulled down a box of candy. "See? I found our new candy!"

Kuro looked at the box, the name of the candy printed in Japanese. "Kinoko no yama? Those little chocolate and biscuit things shaped like mushrooms? Why those?"

"They still have our initials! 'Kinoko,' there's the K. And it's made by the 'Meiji' candy company, there's the M! K and M! Kuro and Mikey!" the orange-banded turtle looked giddy now, smiling goofily.

Kuro giggled, covering her mouth. She took the box, staring at the candy for a moment. "Mikey, you're the best." She kissed his cheek before returning to her tea, pouring the hot water into a cup and dunking the tea bag inside. She jumped at the sound of a _thud, _and she turned to see Mikey had passed out in pure bliss.

"Booyakasha…" Mikey sighed dreamily.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, all together again! I hope this explains why Kuro thought she wanted to stay in Japan but then "spontaneously" returned to New York. Sorry for the late update, but I have been swamped and majorly stressed out for the past…well, the past month or so. But now that I'm on a more relaxed schedule, I can get back into updating chapters again.**


	8. Slash and Destroy

**A/N: I must apologize for the delay. Putting a story on hiatus hurt me a lot, but I was losing my inspiration and faith in the quality of this story. I often thought about it, but no new ideas came up and the ones that did were utter rubbish. I had to really take a look at it and think about how I want to work the story with how the series stands now.**

**But I think I have a plan that'll work this time. So I apologize to the devoted readers who waited so long, and here is another chapter. I will not make a guess at the next update, but if you truly enjoy this story you will stick with it.**

* * *

**Episode 7: Slash and Destroy**

Amidst their fights with the Kraang and Foot, sometimes Kuro forgot that she lived in a "house" full of boys. When she took time to act like a normal teenager, the Turtles' normal teenager antics often reminded her that under all that ninja gear and mutated skin, they were just boys being boys.

Like today. Mikey and Leo were taking turns at the space-themed video game, Mikey despairing over his apparent inability to beat the boss level. Donnie worked in his lab for a retro-mutagen. Kuro sat curled up in a beanbag chair with a book while Haiiro tried to master the art of brushing her hair.

Over in the bedroom areas, a door slammed open. Raph marched out seconds later, fuming with anger as his pet box turtle Spike rested on his shoulder. Raph stomped up to Mikey. "You got pizza stains all over my collection of _Modern Ninja_ magazine! They're ruined!"

"Dude, those things are like twenty years old." Mikey said dismissively. "They're not exactly 'modern.'"

"They're vintage!" Raph argued. "It took me six years to collect them! _Six years!_"

"Chillax, bro." Mikey said, taking the magazine from Raph's hands. "I'll clean it for ya." With that, Mikey suddenly began licking the cover of the magazine, much to Raph's horror and anger.

Kuro rolled her eyes, but didn't look up from her book of Shakespeare plays. "Typical boys."

"Yes, but is this typical of boys or typical of turtles?" Haiiro pointed out in a monotone voice.

Kuro paused. "Touché."

Raph growled, taking Spike and setting him down on a basket nearby. Then he proceeded to grab the magazine from Mikey, roll it up, and smack his brother on the head. "You mess up everything, Mikey!" Mikey cringed at his brother's tone, looking hurt.

"It's just stuff, Raph." Leo said, still focused on his game. "Meager possessions. What does it matter?"

"What about your precious comic book collection, huh?" Raph demanded. "You always stick up for Mikey! Try seeing _my _point of view for once!"

"I get it." Leo said, still not looking to his hot-headed brother. "I just think, like Master Splinter says, 'Material possessions are fleeting.'"

Raph suddenly slammed against the video game machine, unplugging it and making Kuro and Haiiro jump from the loud sound. "All right, enough!" Raph shouted. "I'm tired of you three. You're always messing up, and I gotta pay for it!" He grumbled and growled, going over to the punching bag and hitting it repeatedly.

Kuro rolled her eyes. _One of the things I miss about Japan is the ability to always find a quiet place to read. _She sighed as she stuck a bookmark in her book and shut it. "How is it you guys can show _some _respect to one another on missions, but you can't even understand the concept of it when you're at home?"

"Thank you!" Raph said gratefully, still wailing on the punching bag.

"Really, Kuro?" Leo sighed, plugging the game machine back in.

"I'm just saying." Kuro held up her hands in a defensive gesture. "Respect is—"

Everyone jumped at the sound of a loud firework explosion, and several streams of firework-like lights shot from Donnie's lab. Mikey and Leo jumped aside as one of the fireworks sailed past Mikey's head and hit the turnstiles. Raph paused in his punching and ducked as several of them came close to hitting him.

"Hit the deck!" Mikey shouted, diving to safety behind Kuro's beanbag chair. Kuro yelped, covering her head with her book. Haiiro gave a cat yowl when one firework landed inches away from her. The fireworks zoomed all around the lair, leaving trails of smoke and hitting several things (like Mikey's skateboard and box of pizza) and disintegrating them. "My pizza!" Mikey whimpered. "We're under attack!"

"Help!" Haiiro shouted, darting away to hide behind the TV.

Raph suddenly realized with horror that one firework headed straight for Spike, still sitting on the crate. _"Spike! No!" _Raph shouted, darting for his beloved pet. He made a wild dive and tackled Spike off the crate just as the firework hit it, making the crate explode. Raph curled around his pet as he rolled across the ground, coming to a stop as the fireworks finally died down. Raph uncurled himself, finding a shell on his chest. Spike poked his head out, smiling at Raph who sighed in immense relief. "Hey there, little guy. Y-you okay, Spike?" He patted Spike's shell lovingly. "You're all good. Ol' Raph won't let anything happen to ya."

"Wow." Donnie coughed as he exited his lab. "I did not see that one coming."

Haiiro finally came out from behind the TV, her hair puffed up much like the fur on her tail. She glowered at Donnie. "Neither did we, Donatello." She growled as she smoothed her hair and fur down.

Donnie chuckled nervously, raising his goggles up to his forehead. "Everyone okay?"

"Are you crazy?" Raph snapped as he stomped up into Donnie's face. "No, we're not okay!"

"What happened here?" Splinter's voice demanded in concern as he approached, the rat master having emerged from the dojo to investigate the ruckus.

"I'll tell you what happened, Master Splinter." Raph growled. "Donnie almost blew us up. Again! And worse, he almost blew up Spike!"

"He looks all right, Raphael." Haiiro said, gently petting Spike's head.

"Yeah, he's resilient. Just like his best friend." Kuro said, hoping to quell Raph's anger.

It didn't work. "If I hadn't acted when I did, Spike could've gotten hurt or worse!" Raph snapped.

"Raph, dude, I'm really sorry." Donnie said sincerely. "I—"

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time!" Raph shouted, marching into Donnie's lab. He grabbed the remaining mutagen from Donnie's desk, ignoring the concerned stares from his siblings and the stern glare from his sensei. "Until the mad scientist gets his act together, I'm holding this for safekeeping."

"No, Raph, be reasonable!" Donnie pleaded. "Man, that's my last canister of mutagen!" Raph didn't answer, disappearing to his room. Splinter's glare melted to a stare of worry and thought, wondering how he could help his hot-tempered son.

"Well Raph's temper has flared again." Kuro noted.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Leo droned.

"No more fighting for now." Splinter said in an authoritative tone. "We must clean up the lair. Many hands make light work. Michelangelo, will you go fetch Raphael?"

"Uh, okay." Mikey said uncertainly. He walked off to the bedrooms. Everyone else grabbed a broom, mop, or a garbage basket and began cleaning up the mess from the fireworks. A minute later, Mikey returned with a still-angry Raph stomping after him.

Raph stomped right up to Splinter. "Sensei, this is completely unfair! Donnie made this mess. How come I have to help?"

Splinter remained calm the entire time. "Allow me to make a suggestion, Raphael."

Raph looked ready to explode. "Suggest what, Sensei? I'm sick of suggestions! What could you possibly suggest?!"

Splinter suddenly poked a nerve in Raph's shoulder, making him tense up and fall backwards to the ground. Splinter smirked. "Perhaps you should sit and meditate for a while."

Kuro giggled, but immediately stopped when Raph recovered and stood up again, growling viciously. "Raph, it's okay—"

"Don't, just don't!" Raph shouted. "Don't talk like you know what I go through, Kuro! You don't have any siblings! The only sibling you ever had was Karai, and you got along with her perfectly!"

"Raph, would you just calm down?" Leo demanded.

Raph snorted, sounding like an angry bull, but Haiiro came up and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The human/feline smiled. "Return to your room and meditate, Raphael. We will take care of this."

Raph growled again, but muttered a thanks and stomped off. Everyone else resumed their cleaning, soon returning to their normal activities. Splinter went back to the dojo to meditate on his own and Haiiro went back to brushing/smoothing out her hair and fur.

Donnie sat down as he finished picking up the trash and rubble from the fireworks. "I feel terrible. It's my fault Raph's mad."

"It's not you, Donnie." Leo assured. "Well, it-it's partly you. Raph just has to work on his insanely bad temper."

"It doesn't help when you guys seem to have limited patience with it." Kuro said. "I used to have anger problems too, and the only reason I got better is because I had family and friends who worked _with _me rather than just roll their eyes and say 'calm down.' I do think Raph needs a way to take out his anger without yelling, but unless you guys got any bright ideas, I don't see him changing anytime soon."

"Maybe he should switch to decaffeinated pizza?" Mikey shrugged.

A beeping caught everyone's attention, and Donnie pulled out his mutagen tracker. "Whoa! The mutagen tracker just picked up a new canister. It's close!"

"Then let's gear up." Leo urged. "I'll grab Raph."

"Better you than me." Mikey said as Leo walked off. Everyone hurriedly grabbed their gear and prepared to leave. As they waited, they heard a door slam and Leo returned sans Raph.

"What did you say?" Kuro groaned.

"I said we're not waiting." Leo huffed. "And Raph said apparently he'll catch up with us later."

"You all go ahead." Haiiro said. "I will wait for Raphael."

"You sure?" Donnie asked.

"Yes. Go on." Haiiro waved them off, and the ninjas soon agreed and hurried off. Haiiro walked back towards the bedrooms, raising a fist to softly knock on Raph's door. But the door opened before she could, and Raph started to step out.

"Now we'll just get the surface and—" Raph appeared to be talking to someone, but when he saw Haiiro he froze. "Haiiro! Uh, what are you doing here?"

"I decided to wait for you." Haiiro said. "I did not—" She suddenly noticed a hulking shadow behind Raph, and her eyes widened when she realized it was a huge, monster-like turtle with a dark shell, grayish blue skin, and yellow spikes. He carried a large mace in one hand. Haiiro's ears flattened on her skull and she hissed, crouching down and launching forward to tackle the larger turtle to the ground. She growled in the turtle's face, ready to claw him.

"Wait, Haiiro!" Raph called, grabbing her arm. "It's okay! He's a friend!"

Haiiro stared at him in confusion. "Friend?"

"Yeah, it's Spike!" Raph said happily.

Haiiro's eyes widened and she leaped off the larger turtle, who rolled up and stood once more. He gave a smile to the cat, holding out one of his ginormous hands. Haiiro sniffed the large turtle's hand, and she gasped softly. "Spike? What on earth happened to you?"

"Got into the mutagen." Spike shrugged.

Haiiro giggled. "I should have known. Welcome the club, I suppose."

"I was just going to help Spike gear up so we can track down that mutagen." Raph said.

"Why don't you join us, Haiiro?" Spike offered. "We could use your skill."

Haiiro smiled. "I would love to." Then she cast a worried glance to Raph. "But what will you tell the others?"

"Don't worry about it." Raph assured. "Let's go!" He ran off, Spike right behind him. Haiiro moved to follow, but she noticed a picture taped to the metal locker in Raph's room. The picture showed Leo, Donnie, and Mikey, but there was a scratch mark across each of their faces. The scratches looked much too purposeful to be an accident from Spike's mutation. Haiiro narrowed her eyes, but quickly resumed following the boys.

Up on the surface, Raph helped Spike find some old black clothes to tear apart and make into a mask, arm wraps, and a belt. When they finished, Spike looked quite ready for action.

"Wow." Raph breathed. "You look awesome, Spike."

Spike chuckled. "Never liked the name 'Spike.'" He grabbed a hood ornament off an abandoned and wrecked car, the ornament round with an S in the circle. He clipped the ornament to his belt. "Call me 'Slash.'"

With that, Slash/Spike, Raph, and Haiiro took off across the rooftops to search for the mutagen.

"Yes, this is so cool!" Raph cheered. "Just you and me, Raph and Slash: the Crime-Fighting Duo. Oh, and you too, Haiiro."

"I do not need thy charity." Haiiro laughed, running on all fours.

"We'll right the wrongs of the world," Slash agreed, muttering the second half of his sentence. "and wipe out whoever stands in our way."

The three of them paused. "Hold on." Raph piped up. "How are we gonna find that mutagen without a tracker?"

Slash chuckled. "Haiiro and I got noses for the stuff. We can smell it a mile away." He and Haiiro sniffed the air. "Come on! This way!"

"We are close!" Haiiro announced. They hurried across the rooftops, stopping at a corner. They looked down to find the mutagen canister, but unfortunately a pizza delivery boy also found the canister and picked it up, mistaking it for an energy drink.

Raph pulled out a length of rope and a grappling hook. "All right, I got this, Slash. You and Haiiro wait here." He threw the hook, swinging down on the rope and aiming to grab the mutagen canister off the bike of the delivery boy. But the boy put in some ear buds and cranked up his music, riding off and taking the mutagen with him. A second later, Raph suddenly collided with Leo who apparently had the same idea, and the two turtles hit the ground.

Haiiro face palmed. "Well that did not go as planned." Upon hearing no response, Haiiro turned and found Slash had disappeared. "Slash? Spike? Where are you?"

"Hey!" Raph snapped at Leo. "What are you doin'? I had him!"

"You're late, Raph." Leo growled.

Donnie, Mikey, and Kuro watched from their perch on a roof nearby. Kuro sighed. "Here they go again."

Donnie groaned. "Are they gonna argue all night?" He raised his voice so his brothers could hear him. "The mutagen's getting away!" Leo and Raph didn't seem to hear him.

Mikey grinned, he and Kuro kneeling on the edge of the building. "Dude! I can totally see Raph's forehead veins bulging from here."

"Charming, Mikey." Kuro sighed.

"Check it out! His head's gonna pop!" Mikey pointed. But no response came from Donnie, snarky or urgent or otherwise, and Mikey and Kuro turned to their brother. Except they only saw empty air. "Donnie?"

"Fine!" Leo shouted. "I'm going after it myself! I don't need your help!" He turned and ran off.

"Fine!" Raph shouted after him. "You sure you can handle a pizza delivery boy on your own?" He growled, shoving a trash can aside and scaling a fire escape to return to Haiiro and Slash.

"Took you long enough." Haiiro huffed.

"Sorry." Raph rolled his eyes. "Where's Slash?"

"I am not sure." Haiiro admitted. "He disappeared."

"Slash?" Raph called, him and Haiiro walking along the roof a ways. "Hey! Where'd you go, man?" Raph and Haiiro jumped at the loud _THUD _from behind them, and they turned to see Slash. He breathed heavily, his fists clenched. "What happened to you?" Raph asked worriedly.

Haiiro caught a whiff of a familiar smell, and she discretely took another sniff. _Donnie. I smell Donnie on him….and blood….._ Haiiro caught sight of a purple strip of cloth peeking out of Slash's fist.

"Raph!" Mikey called, running up with Kuro beside him. "Donnie's disappeared! He was right behind me and Kuro when—" He paused, and he and Kuro glanced to Slash.

"Uh…hello….." Kuro greeted, moving to stand beside Raph. Her hand moved to the handle of her sword.

"Holy chalupa. Another Turtle?" Mikey breathed.

"Wait, wait, no!" Raph assured. "It's Spike. I mean, Slash, now. He got into the mutagen."

"Wow." Kuro droned, relaxing from her tense stance. "What was that you said? You'd hold onto that canister for 'safekeeping'?"

Mikey's jaw dropped at the revelation that the hulking, massive turtle behind him was once Raph's cute little pet. "Dude, this is too much to process. I'm…..gonna…" He fell over, then jumped up again. "I'M FREAKIN' OUT!"

"Mikey, just calm down!" Kuro urged. "We have more important problems to worry about. I don't like how Donnie disappeared like he did."

"We must search for him." Haiiro said.

"Raphael, you said it yourself." Slash said, taking a few steps forward. "We don't need these clowns. We gotta hunt that mutagen down now."

"But what about Donnie?" Mikey whimpered. "We have to find him!"

Raph glanced to Slash, who glared and gave a deep growl. Then he looked back to Mikey, who gave him the biggest set of pleading, puppy-dog eyes. Haiiro's ears went flat against her skull as she listened to Slash's growl. She was still an animal at heart, and she could tell when hostility began to rise.

Kuro noticed Haiiro's tension. "Uh, Raph? Maybe you and Slash _should _go after the mutagen. Mikey, Haiiro, and I can go look for Donnie."

Raph thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "No, it's okay, Kuro. Sorry, Slash. My brothers come first, no matter what." He and Mikey slapped hands, smiling at each other.

Haiiro heard Slash's growl again, this time louder. She bared her canines, flexing her claws.

"How about I make the choice a little easier for ya?" Slash offered. A split-second later, he suddenly raised his fist and slammed it into Mikey, _hard_; so hard, Mikey hit the ground and ricocheted up again like a bouncy ball.

"_Mikey!" _Raph shouted, horrified. Kuro screamed, and Haiiro's tense stance relaxed as she stared in shock. Slash didn't stop there. He smacked Mikey against the ground again, and again, and then into the scaffolding of a billboard next to him. Mikey hit the ground, lying there limply. Slash raised his fist to slam it into Mikey's body again. _"Spike!" _Raph shouted, body-slamming the larger turtle and sending him skidding backwards. "What are you doing?"

"What is wrong with your pet, Raph?" Kuro demanded, drawing her katana. Haiiro hissed, crouching over Mikey protectively.

"I don't want to fight you, Raphael. And I don't want to have to hurt Kuro and Haiiro." Slash said, advancing towards them again. "Just go. Leave me to my work."

Raph glanced to Mikey, who was barely conscious. "Your work? That mutagen warped your brain, Spike. This isn't you!"

"Told you." Slash raised his mace. "The name's Slash." He raised the mace, roaring as he brought it down towards Mikey. But Raph leaped between his brother and what used to be his beloved pet, throwing a smoke bomb in Slash's face. Slash screamed and growled, rubbing his eyes. But when his vision cleared, everyone was gone.

* * *

Raph carried Mikey as they ran from Slash, finally making it a safe distance away and working to revive Mikey. Kuro and Haiiro stood guard in case Slash followed them. Mikey soon woke up, and Haiiro brought up how she smelled Donnie's blood on Slash, which means he probably hurt the tallest Turtle. The four of them hurried off to search for Donnie.

"I can't believe this." Kuro groaned. "How did your cute little pet become a monster?"

"It's my own fault." Raph said, clearly remorseful. "Whenever I got angry with you guys, I always vented it out to Spike. But now he's taking it to a whole new, dangerous level."

"Let us not worry about that now." Haiiro urged. "We must find Donatello."

"Can you sniff him out?" Mikey asked worriedly. Haiiro sniffed the air, and she darted off in one direction. The other three ninjas followed until they spotted a familiar figure lying limply on a rooftop.

"Donnie!" Kuro called. "You okay?" She mentally hit herself for asking that. Donnie's staff was snapped in half, even the naginata blade, and he was covered in bruises and scratches. He was missing his mask. All in all, he was most definitely _not _okay.

Donnie groaned as he opened his eyes. "What hit me? It was like Raph, only bigger and meaner. Angrier but….not quite as ugly."

"At least his wit is still intact." Haiiro said, keeping an eye out for Slash.

"It was Spike." Raph explained. "He got into the mutagen. I was gonna tell you guys, but—"

"Spike?" Donnie repeated. "Way to keep that mutagen safe, Raph."

"Enough." Kuro snapped. "We have to keep moving. Slash will come after all of you guys, and maybe even me and Haiiro if he gets mad enough."

"Yeah, come on." Raph encouraged, pushing Donnie's broken staff into his brother's hands and helping him stand. "We gotta find some cover." He supported Donnie as they continued walking. Mikey and Kuro had their respective weapons out, ready for any attack. The tingling pain across Donnie's body flared with every step, but he fought to stay conscious so he could at least survive tonight.

But after several minutes of walking, Donnie suddenly collapsed as they jumped down to a lower roof. "Can't make it. I'm too weak. You go on without me, fellas."

"No turtle left behind. That's our rule." Raph said firmly.

"Raph, you watch out for Donnie and Mikey." Kuro instructed. "Haiiro and I will track down Slash and keep tabs on his location. We'll keep in touch over the T-phones."

"Okay." Raph nodded. "While you're at it, text Leo. Let him know what's going on." Kuro nodded, her and Haiiro hurrying off. Haiiro sniffed the air, searching for Slash's location. She found traces of Slash's scent, and she led the way across the rooftops. Several tense minutes passed that felt like a century. Kuro fought to remain calm, but her nerves were rattled. She still couldn't believe it was Spike doing all this.

No, not Spike. Spike was a cute little box turtle. This was the doing of Slash, a monster.

"What is our plan when we find him?" Haiiro asked, knowing they were getting closer to Slash's location.

"We try talking first." Kuro said. "Maybe, just maybe, we can reach Spike and bring him back."

"And if that does not work?" Haiiro asked, stopping on a rooftop and hiding with Kuro behind a fan.

Kuro didn't answer for a minute, fingering her katana. "Then we hope that the two of us can take him down together. He's trying to single us all out. Maybe two against one will work." They walked out into the open, Haiiro sniffing the ground.

"This makes no sense." Haiiro murmured. "His scent is all around here. Where could he be?"

"You got quite the sense of smell, Haiiro. Maybe you should join me and Raph."

Kuro and Haiiro whipped around as Slash jumped down from a billboard and landed before them. Kuro sheathed her katana and removed her helmet and mask, setting them down. "Why are you doing this, Spike?"

"My name is Slash." The hulking turtle mutant growled.

"I know." Kuro said. "I'm trying to reach Spike, the kind turtle who was once Raph's friend."

Slash chuckled. "He and I are one in the same, Kuro."

Kuro narrowed her eyes, still trying to keep her tone calm. "Then answer my question: why are you doing this?"

"Raph needs to be free from his brothers." Slash said. "They hold him back. They don't understand him. Not like I do."

"So why not just run away with Raphael?" Haiiro said. "Why must you resort to violence against his own family?"

"I'm doing what's best for him!" Slash growled. "You two understand. I've seen how you interact with him. You understand Raph like I do. His brothers? They just hold him back. They don't show him _respect._" He caught sight of Kuro tensing up at that remark. "But you two do. I like you two; you always supported Raph. You can help me and him fight crime. You understand, right?"

Kuro and Haiiro didn't answer. Haiiro glanced to Kuro, waiting for her response. Kuro sighed. "I understand that you are truly trying to be Raph's friend. But your methods are only going to cause him harm." She held out her hand to Slash. "Let us help you. I'm sure if you apologize sincerely enough, we can smooth things over with the others."

Slash stared at her for a moment, seeming to consider the option. Haiiro watched carefully. Finally, Slash reached out and took Kuro's much smaller hand in his gargantuan one. Kuro smiled softly.

Then, Slash pulled her forward and spun her around. He brought his wrist to Kuro's throat and pinned her to his chest, choking her. Kuro gasped for breath, fighting to break free. Haiiro lunged for Slash, but he knocked her aside.

"You should join me when you have the chance, Kuro." Slash growled. "I'd hate to have to eliminate you like I did your precious little boyfriend." Suddenly, he felt two sets of claws in his scalp, and Slash roared in pain as he dropped Kuro. He reached around and grabbed Haiiro, throwing her off him and slamming her into Kuro. The girls tumbled and rolled, the wind knocked out of them. Slash growled at them. "Last chance, Kuro and Haiiro! Join me or join Raph's brothers." He turned and ran off.

Kuro fought to rise, helping Haiiro up as well. "We gotta go after him!"

* * *

When Raph realized Mikey disappeared, he hurriedly drew his sai blades and ran off to find him. But when he did, he saw his baby brother beaten and bruised and deathly unconscious. He was tied up and hanging off the edge of a building. Raph wasted no time in hurrying to him, gently pulling Mikey to solid ground and untying him. He heard Mikey groaning in pain, which wasn't a comforting sign, but at least it showed he was still alive.

"Still breathing." Raph sighed in relief. Anger, frustration, and even fear built up inside of him. _Spike…..Spike how could you do this? _He stood up and shouted to the air. "Why? Why are you doing this?!"

"The others hold you back, limit your potential." Slash's voice seemed to come from nowhere, greatly unnerving Raph. "You don't need 'em, just like you said." At that last word, Raph turned just in time to see Slash slam him aside. Now that he felt Slash's punch, Raph understood his brothers' pain. It felt like getting hit by a truck.

"No!" Raph growled, watching Slash grab Mikey by the ankle and drag him to the edge of the roof. "They're my brothers. I never wanted this!"

"There's no turning back now." Slash growled. He held Mikey out over the edge, ready to drop him. Raph gasped, still unable to pick himself up.

Suddenly, a flash of black and gray shot up from the fire escape below, and Raph saw Kuro grab Mikey while Haiiro sunk her claws into Slash's face. Slash snarled, releasing Mikey and allowing Kuro and Haiiro to pull him to safety. Then the girls lunged for Slash. Haiiro clawed Slash, but he grabbed her by the tail and slammed her repeatedly into the ground before throwing her aside. She smashed into a wall and slumped to the ground, unconscious. Kuro spent a little more time dodging Slash's attacks as opposed to laying down her own, but she did manage to kick Slash's head and knock him back a few feet. The next time she went in to strike, however, Slash punched her so hard her helmet and mask flew off and clattered to the ground. Kuro felt the wind rush from her lungs, and she struggled to rise again. Slash stalked towards Kuro, snarling.

"Stop!" Raph suddenly shouted, putting himself between Slash and Kuro. "I won't let you hurt her! I won't let you hurt any of them!" He twirled his sais in his hands.

"I'm not here to fight you." Slash huffed.

"But I want to fight you." Raph declared. "You're not Spike. You're some kind of warped monster. A deranged, hideous freak."

Slash drew his mace, and he let out a high-pitched roar. He and Raph charged for each other.

Raph's sai scraped against Slash's mace, and Slash knocked him aside. The next time Slash brought his mace down, Raph crossed his sai blades and caught the mace handle. He struggled to stay on his feet, the weight of the mace threatening to crush him.

"We could make a good team, Raphael." Slash sneered. "But you're a fool, just like your brothers, your sister, and that cat!" He brought his mace back and swung it, sending Raph flying and slamming into a wall. Slash even went so far as to hit Raph so hard the smaller turtle flew to another rooftop.

"Raph!" Kuro shouted.

Raph tried to recover, leaping up and landing on another roof. Slash followed close behind. Raph lunged with a couple kicks, but jumped away again when Slash swung his mace around. He had Mikey's and Donnie's masks tied to his arm, like trophies. Enraged again, Raph readied himself for battle once more.

"I spent years watching you train, learning your moves." Slash said. "I know everything you can do."

Raph readjusted his grip on his sai, and he lunged for Slash again. The next time Slash brought his mace around, Raph hooked his sais to the handle and pulled himself into the air, planting his foot in Slash's face. Slash stumbled back, growling.

"Not everything." Raph taunted.

Slash roared, charging forward and sweeping Raph's feet. Then Slash grabbed Raph's ankles and slammed the red-banded turtle onto the ground, then twice against the wall. Slash punched Raph so hard that Raph flew through a wall and landed on another roof. The pain made him numb, and he found he couldn't move an inch. Slash chuckled as he advanced towards Raph, drawing out his claws. He grabbed Raph's arm, readying his claws.

"No!" Mikey shouted, grabbing Slash's arm.

"Get off of him!" Donnie shouted, catching Slash's other arm. Haiiro and Kuro slammed into Slash's chest and stomach, making him drop Raph. Slash stepped away from Raph, throwing the ninjas off him. But even when they were beaten down again, they stood to defend Raph. Donnie lunged with his staff and Mikey charged in after him, but Slash knocked them both aside with ease. Kuro came in from above and Haiiro below, but Slash grabbed Haiiro and threw her into Kuro to send both of them back to the ground.

Raph saw all this, and he glared in determination as he shakily stood up. "Slash, you see? That's what real friends do. They stand up for each other. I'd rather be like my brothers than you any day."

"Was that a compliment?" Mikey groaned.

"Take what you can get." Kuro muttered.

Slash uncurled his claws, and he lunged for Raph with a roar. Raph avoided Slash's strikes and even kicked him off the roof to an adjacent one, where their battle continued. Slash chased Raph around before tackling him, sending them both through the roof of an apartment complex. They stood up grappling with each other, and Raph looked over to discover one of his brothers.

"Raph?" Leo asked.

"Leo!" Raph called. "Having….tea time?" So it would seem. Leo sat with a little girl and her stuffed animals, having a tea party of all things.

Slash shoved Raph through the wall and back to the outside. Leo, realizing there was trouble, made sure the little girl didn't get hurt before grabbing the mutagen canister and running after Raph. "Next time I'll bring the tea!"

"Bye Mr. Turtle!" the girl waved after him.

Raph managed to land all right, and he turned to face Slash despite fatigue threatening to take over. He stabbed his sais forward, but Slash grabbed the blades and kicked Raph backwards, throwing the sais into the air and away from them. Raph landed on his shell and flipped up to his feet, definitely feeling his wounds flaring with pain. He and Slash circled each other.

"It's over, Raphael." Slash gloated. "You've lost."

Raph wouldn't be deterred. He lunged again, but Slash landed a powerful punch to his face and he hit the ground again. Then he turned around and put all his strength into a powerful punch of his own that sent Slash reeling.

Slash sneered and laughed. "A true warrior's spirit. We're the same, you and me."

"We are _nothing _alike!" Raph shouted, clutching his throbbing shoulder. "You're pure evil!"

Slash growled, then let out a loud roar and charged like a rhino. Raph tried to avoid him, but Slash caught up and began slamming his spiked fists into Raph repeatedly until the red-banded turtle was just as beaten as his brothers and sisters. Raph became knocked to the edge of the roof, wobbling and almost falling over. Slash charged again.

Then, out of nowhere, Leo came down from above and kicked Slash back, getting him away from Raph. He quickly came to Raph's side. "So what's with the new turtle?"

"Long story." Raph groaned painfully. "Look out!"

Too late. Slash smacked Leo brutally into the ground, causing him to roll across the ground. Slash smirked maliciously. "Been looking forward to that for a long time."

Raph panted, fearful of Slash's destructive and malicious nature. Then he felt angry. If only he had kept that mutagen safer. Then his precious pet wouldn't have become this. "That's it! It's over!" He pulled a small dagger from his belt.

"That's right, Raph." Slash encouraged as Raph approached him. "We're not like the others. They're weak, but we're powerful. Our anger makes us strong."

Raph froze, Splinter's words catching up to him. He smirked triumphantly, finally with a plan in mind. Slash lunged, but Raph ducked under his strike. "Meditate on this!" he shouted, tapping the same nerve Splinter hit on him. Raph snatched his brothers' masks and watched as Slash went into spasms and twitched uncontrollably. But his swaying made him stumble towards the edge of the roof, where he quickly lost his balance. Raph's eyes widened and he sprinted towards the larger turtle. "Spike!" Raph screamed, reaching out to grab his friend's hand and save him. But his fingertips brushed against Slash/Spike's claws, and nothing more. _"Spike! No!" _Raph screamed, trying to reach for the hulking mutant turtle even after he fell.

There was a sickening _CRACK! _Slash left a crater where he landed and laid very still.

Raph bowed his head in defeat, mournful of his friend. He walked over to Leo and helped him stand, looking over as Mikey, Donnie, Kuro, and Haiiro weakly made their way over. "You guys all right?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you." Donnie said.

"What happened to Spike?" Mikey asked.

"That was Spike?!" Leo exclaimed, glancing to the edge of the roof where Slash/Spike fell.

"Fill you in later, dude." Mikey groaned painfully.

Leo, Kuro, and Raph walked to the edge of the building and looked towards Slash's body. But they saw only a crater. "He's gone." Raph breathed.

"He survived the fall." Kuro realized.

"Well, he's still out there…..somewhere…." Raph sighed.

Kuro put an arm around Raph's shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Raph." Raph didn't answer, but he leaned into her comforting embrace.

* * *

It only took a few days for the bruises and scratches to disappear but Donnie still had a sprained arm. Still, it didn't stop the boys from going back to their usual antics. Mikey, Donnie, and Leo even roped Kuro and Haiiro into the game machine, and Kuro greatly impressed the boys with her skills in the game.

Raph, however, was melancholy. He couldn't stop thinking about Spike, and he felt so lonely without him. He held a leaf that had bite marks in it, sighing dejectedly. Then, he saw a familiar kimono and staff, and he looked up to see Splinter stopped in front of him.

"He's still out there somewhere." Raph said, referring to Spike/Slash. That's all he could say, still sorrowful.

Splinter knew the feeling of losing people he cared about. Raph now felt a similar pain with the loss of his most beloved friend. "Raphael, do you know what I do when I miss my loved ones from the past?"

"No." Raph said, keeping his eyes downcast.

Splinter looked to the rest of the boys, Kuro, and Haiiro still at the game machine. "I focus on the friends I am surrounded by in the present."

Raph cast a sideways glance to the rest of his family, and he had to smile. They got on his nerves. That probably wouldn't change for a long time. But they were his family, his brothers and sisters, and he loved them.

But, of course, he'd never say it out loud.

Raph stood, placing the leaf on the pinball machine. "Thanks, Master Splinter." He began walking towards his siblings. "Hey! What's a guy got to do to get in your little competition, huh?"

"Next game is all yours, dude." Mikey offered.

"If you're brave enough to try and beat my high score." Kuro challenged.

"Sorry about Spike, Raphael." Leo said sincerely.

"It's okay." Raph assured, draping his arms around Leo's and Donnie's shoulders. "You guys aren't too bad to hang out with either."


	9. The Good, the Bad, and Casey Jones

**Episode 8: The Good, the Bad, and Casey Jones**

The young ninjas of the Lotus Clan stood relaxed yet straight and tall in the dojo. Raph, Mikey, and Haiiro stood on one side and Leo, Donnie, and Kuro stood on the other to face them. Each ninja drew their respective weapons, with the exception of Haiiro who simply readied her claws.

"My children." Splinter said, walking between them to the other side of the room. "You are truly becoming impressive warriors. But to grow as a team, you must know each other's strengths and weaknesses."

Mikey swung his nunchaku around for a moment before letting out a loud, stinky burp in Donnie's face. Donnie's eyes immediately began watering from the fumes. "Ugh, right in my face! Really?"

"Garlic and clam pizza!" Mikey laughed triumphantly.

"This competition is a free-for-all." Splinter announced. "Last ninja standing wins! _Hajime_!"

No sooner did he say that did Raph charge forward towards Donnie, who was still blinded by Mikey's burp. Raph ran around Donnie and kicked his brother's shell, sending the purple-banded turtle flying and eliminating him from the competition.

"Sorry, Donnie." Raph smirked. "It's a ninja-eat-ninja world." He turned to Mikey, laughing at his brother's expense, and ran to him next. Mikey managed to dodge Raph's strike, and Leo came in to lock blades with Raph. "What are you doing, Leo? I was going for Mikey!"

"What part of 'last ninja standing' don't you understand?" Leo retorted. He shoved Raph backwards, and when Mikey moved out of the way Leo swiped at his legs and sent him to the ground.

"Aw, man!" Mikey whined.

"Distraction, misdirection." Splinter guided. "Powerful weapons in a ninja's arsenal."

Raph and Leo circled each other. "Looks like you've leveled up to the boss fight." Raph taunted.

"I'm gonna wipe that smirk off your face." Leo countered. "Permanently."

Raph lunged first, dodging Leo's return strike. Their blades came together with loud clangs. Raph caught one of Leo's blades and threw it aside, then jumped back as Leo swung his remaining katana towards Raph. Leo smacked one of Raph's sais from his hand, the knife impaling the tree in the dojo. Raph quickly recovered it, him and Leo chasing each other around the dojo. Then, Leo jumped up, ricocheted off the tree, and planted his knee pad in Raph's cheek. Not enough to seriously hurt him, but enough to send him to the floor and win.

"Well, Leo won it this time." Donnie said as Leo walked up to Splinter and sheathed his katanas.

"Think again!" Kuro's voice called right before she shot down from the pipes above them. She kicked Leo's plastron, forcing him to the ground. "Ha! I didn't even have to draw a weapon to beat you!" She yelped when someone swiped at her legs and she hit the tatami mats.

The culprit turned out to be Haiiro, who gave a playful smirk. "Neither did I." She stood and approached Splinter, bowing.

"Well done, Haiiro." Splinter nodded.

"Great. Beaten by the cat." Kuro sighed. "We'll never live this one down."

Mikey and Donnie looked ready to agree when they noticed Raph breathing hard and seething with rage. "Uh oh." Mikey gulped. "Leo's awoken the beast."

Raph suddenly charged right for Leo, grabbing his arm when he tried to block the attack. He spun around and elbowed Leo's stomach. Kuro grabbed Raph's arm, but he elbowed her in the face before punching Leo in the cheek. Leo flew forwards and hit the ground hard.

Haiiro and Donnie hurried to Leo while Mikey checked on Kuro. "Raph! What are you doing?" Donnie demanded.

Raph finally seemed to realize what he just did. "I'm—I didn't mean to hurt them. It was an accident. Seriously."

"It's fine." Kuro said, holding her now-bloody nose. "I've been hit with worse."

Leo groaned as he sat up. "Did you guys get the number of that bus?"

"We have spoken about this time and again, Raphael." Splinter scolded. "Anger is a dangerous ally. It clouds your judgement. You need to control it lest it controls you."

"But, Sensei, I wasn't angry!" Raph protested. "I was just…..determined to win!" Leo cast Raph an irritated glare, and Mikey and Donnie exchanged looks. Raph glared back. "What? I said I wasn't angry!" His brothers recoiled at his tone, and he groaned in frustration as he threw his sais down and stomped off.

Haiiro came over and picked up the sais, dusting them off. "Boys, Master Splinter, take care of Leo and Kuro. I will watch out for Raphael."

"You sure?" Mikey asked. "The guy's one more explosion away from losing his head. Really."

"I will be fine." Haiiro said, walking off to find Raph.

* * *

After returning his sais, Haiiro convinced Raph to go up to the surface and vent out his anger on something he couldn't hurt. Following the cat's instructions, Raph and Haiiro journeyed to a rooftop where they wouldn't draw too much attention. Haiiro sat down on a raised ledge just next to Raph, watching the red-banded turtle take his anger out on the vents, fan, and other inanimate objects around the roof.

"This always happens." Raph growled. "I'm fine until those guys push my buttons." He threw a shuriken, cutting off a satellite antenna and causing it to fall. "It's not like I was _trying _to hurt Leo. They just don't get it!" Raph sat against a wall, curling up and hugging his knees as he glared off into space.

Haiiro remained a spectator with attentive eyes and ears. She watched Raph's movements and listened to his words carefully. With the loss of Spike, Raph hasn't really had anyone to talk to. He still missed his pet, but he had mostly moved on by now. He still struggled with his temper, and now he didn't have someone he felt comfortable venting to. Haiiro often offered a listening ear, but she knew she couldn't replace Spike.

The cat/human came over to Raph, sitting beside him. "Raphael. I doubt you truly try to hurt your brothers. But, as Splinter says, anger clouds judgement. You become so angry that you cannot tell friend from foe."

"But they don't understand." Raph sighed. "I'm not trying to be angry."

"It is in your nature to be aggressive, Raphael." Haiiro said. "There is nothing wrong with that. How and when you unleash that aggression is where we need to get some work done. I have faith in you. It is time you had faith in yourself."

Raph looked to Haiiro and smiled. "Thanks, Haiiro. You're the best pet mutant cat a guy could ask for."

Haiiro mewed, giving a toothy smile. "Come. Let us go for a walk. Perhaps the cool night air will help your fiery temper."

Raph rolled his eyes, but allowed Haiiro to pull him to his feet so they could start walking. They didn't get very far when they heard the sounds of a fight, and they quickly ran to investigate. Sitting on a fire escape, they had the perfect view of a struggle between the Purple Dragons and a teenage boy. The boy dressed in sneakers, jeans, a gray shirt, and a ratty black sweatshirt that was missing sleeves. Most of his outfit was splattered with dried spray paint. The boy kept his hood up, a hockey mask on his face painted to look like a skull. He also seemed to be armed with large gloves—one of them even had a large pad and spikes—two hockey sticks, and a baseball bat. He beat down on the Purple Dragon members mercilessly, shocking even Raph.

"That guy's out of control!" Raph breathed. "We gotta stop him."

"I do not think it wise to confront him." Haiiro said. "We should come up with a plan —"

"There's no time for that." Raph said. "I don't like the Purple Dragons, but he'll kill them if we don't do something." He pulled out his sais. "Time for a little intervention." He leaped down towards the boy, leaving Haiiro in the dust.

The cat sighed, her ears drooping. "Perhaps time with one just as angry as him will allow Raphael to vent."

"Hey, man, enough!" one of the Purple Dragons begged. "We give up!"

"Well I ain't finished with you two low-lives yet." The boy sneered. He raised his hockey stick, only for Raph to come up behind and snatch it from his hands. Raph jumped and landed on the boy's shoulders, pushing off him and disappearing. The boy whipped around, holding his bat. "W-who's back there?" the boy demanded in a somewhat stuttering tone. "Show yourself!"

Raph remained hidden in the shadows behind a dumpster for another moment, and then emerged so the boy could see him.

The boy's eyes widened behind his hockey mask. "Another mutant?"

Raph glowered. "Got a problem with that?"

"Wait." The boy sounded like he tried really hard to not laugh. "What are you? Like, some kind of turtle ninja?" He let out his laughs, much to Raph's annoyance. The Purple Dragons took their chance and ran, not unnoticed by the boy. "Hey you filthy scum! I'm not done with you!"

Raph put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Let me handle this."

The boy shoved Raph back. "Outta my way!"

Raph fought to keep his temper in check. "You know, anger is a dangerous ally."

Haiiro perked up at this. _Well done, Raphael. _But her ears flattened when Raph suddenly shoved the boy. _Or not._

"Why don't you cool off for a while?" Raph suggested/ordered.

The boy's grip tightened on his baseball bat. "That's it, Lizard. I'm done with you." He pulled out his other hockey stick, charging towards Raph and shouting "Goongalla!"

Raph quickly pulled out his sais, blocking the boy's wild attacks. Haiiro watched, mentally noting the two fighters' similarities such as their tempers and evenly-matched strength. Raph caught each of the boy's weapons in his sais and shoved him back. "I told you, back off!" Then he jumped, spun around, and kicked the boy into the dumpster. Raph twirled his sais and sheathed them, ready to leave. Haiiro sighed, shaking her head at the apparent idiocy of boys. But she and Raph became surprised when the boy rose from the dumpster, still ready to fight.

"You let those muggers go?" the boy growled. "You're gonna pay for that, freak." The boy charged, body-slamming Raph into a wall. The boy swung his bat and hockey stick, only for Raph to duck out of the way. Raph threw a couple shuriken, which the boy managed to block with the spiked pad on his glove. "Gotta admit. Throwing stars are cool."

"Let me show you my sai!" Raph offered, twirling the weapons in his hands. The boys gave battle cries as they lunged once more.

Haiiro sighed again, growing tiresome of the seemingly endless fight. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "It has become clear to me that this boy's temper may rival Raphael's. Perhaps this was not one of my better ideas." Her ears perked up when she heard a car alarm, and Haiiro suddenly became aware of the fact that Raph and the boy took their fight to the street. "Yes. Definitely not one of my better plans." Haiiro leaped to the ground, hurriedly following the fight.

The boy managed to avoid Raph's swings, leaping over the car and activating a mechanism that put skate wheels on his sneakers. He rolled skillfully into the street, waiting for Raph to catch up. Raph, growing more and more agitated by the minute, lunged with wild stabs and slices while the boy simply skated around him almost in a taunting manner. The boy whacked Raph a few times with his hockey stick, but Raph wouldn't be deterred. As his moves became jerkier and sloppier, though, the boy took advantage of it and starting hitting Raph as many times as he could while skating away before Raph could counter. One particular blow sent Raph tumbling, landing on his back.

But when the boy came in for another blow, Raph grabbed the hockey stick, wrenched it from his hands, and grabbed the boy's shoulders to pull him off his feet. Raph jumped up, slamming the boy down _hard _onto the hood of a nearby car.

The boy groaned. "That….hurt….."

Raph, fueled by rage, jumped up and slammed a foot down onto the boy's chest, pinning him to the car. He seethed and panted, raising one of his sais. The boy shouted as Raph brought the sai down.

"Raphael!" Haiiro's sharp tone made Raph freeze. "That is enough!"

Raph stopped his sai a mere half an inch from the boy's hockey mask. He panted a little more and then sighed. "What am I doing? Maybe I do have anger issues."

Suddenly, the boy unleashed a Taser-like mechanism from his glove and pressed the metal coil to Raph's side. The electricity flowed through Raph, making him unintentionally babble from the electrocution.

Haiiro winced. "Ooohh. That cannot feel good."

Raph fell to the ground, just barely dodging a taxi that almost ran him over. The boy jumped from the car hood and grabbed the back of the taxi, skating off. "You ain't seen the last of me, Turtle!"

"Yeah! You better run!" Raph shouted after him. "Or skitch! Whatever!" He relaxed in defeat, sighing heavily.

Haiiro approached him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps we should return home now."

Raph gave a long, drawn-out sigh. "Yeah. Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Splinter knew children would only be children for so long. So when he began raising his pet turtles as his own sons, he made it clear that their homeschooling and ninja training came first, but things like the weekend could exist for free time.

Naturally, this meant movie marathons were a big deal in the lair.

Mikey leaped onto the couch with Donnie, a bag of recently popped popcorn in his arms. Some of it spilled over Donnie, much to his annoyance. "Yo!" Mikey whooped. "You ready for forty-eight hours of mega-thrusting, evil-fighting, galaxy-saving super sentai action?"

"I was…." Donnie said, a piece of popcorn stuck to his head and his snout. "…until you spilled greasy popcorn all over me!"

Mikey plucked the popcorn off Donnie's snout and popped it into his mouth. "My bad."

"Does that mean you'll be able to keep it down so I can read?" Kuro asked, carrying a manga today with the title _Soul Eater_ on the front.

Mikey put an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "Come on, Kuro! It's not really 'Sibling Time' if you're reading."

"You said I just had to sit with you." Kuro shrugged, pausing in her reading to kiss Mikey's cheek. "Besides, I'm not exactly a fan of robo-mecha whatever that show is."

"It's better than what you got." Donnie boasted.

"I doubt your robot anime has a Shinigami Chop." Kuro countered.

Donnie blinked a few times in confusion. "What the heck is a Shinigami Chop?" Kuro suddenly jumped up and bonked the spine of her book against Donnie's head. "Ouch!"

Kuro smirked as she sat down again. "That. That is a Shinigami Chop."

Leo chuckled to himself at the commotion as he and Haiiro began making their way over. "Hey, Leo. You got a minute?" Raph asked, leaning against a wall. He walked over to his brother as Haiiro continued on to the pit where everyone else sat.

"I was gonna check out _Super Robo-Mecha Force._" Leo said, jerking a thumb towards the TV.

"Cool." Raph shrugged. "So….here's the deal. See, I…me…I'm, um….." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Sorry."

Leo blinked, unsure if he misheard that or not. "What was that?"

"I said I was…..sorry." Raph said. He noticed Leo putting a hand to his earhole teasingly. Raph glared. "Sorry! Okay? SORRY!"

Mikey, Donnie, Kuro, and Haiiro stared, rather surprised that Raph so willingly apologized (and out loud for that matter). "Raph?" Kuro asked.

Raph still focused only on Leo. "I thought I had my anger under control. Turns out I didn't. But now I do. Seriously."

"He means for now." Mikey corrected. "I give him ten more seconds. Nine, eight, seven…"

"You're pushing your luck, Mikey." Kuro warned.

"What are you saying, Raph?" Leo asked.

"Six…."

"It's not that you are angry….." Leo tried to word this correctly.

"Five…."

"But we make you angry?" Leo finished.

"Four…."

"I never said that!" Raph snapped.

"Three….." Mikey grinned cheekily. "Two, one."

Raph started fuming again, and he finally let out a shout. "SHUT UP!"

"Bing, bing, bing!" Mikey cheered. "We have a winner!"

Kuro bonked her book against Mikey's head, earning a pained yelp from him. "Shinigami Chop." She huffed. "That's what you get for tormenting your brother."

Raph panted again, his fists clenched tightly. Leo tried to put a hand on Raph's shoulder, but he shoved the blue-banded turtle's arm off. "Raph, wait!" Leo called as Raph stomped off. "I was just busting your shell. Come on, hang out."

"Ah, let the big green baby go." Donnie shrugged. He and Mikey jumped a little when a shuriken thrown from Raph impaled their popcorn bag. Raph stomped off, muttering angrily the entire way.

Kuro slammed her book shut and stood up, giving Donnie another Shinigami Chop. "You guys _so _did not help that situation!"

"It's his own fault for getting so temperamental." Leo shrugged, only for Kuro to throw her book and hit him in the forehead. "Ow!"

Kuro marched over and picked up her book, almost hitting Leo again until he could dart away to the safety of the couch. "You know, maybe Raph wouldn't get so ticked off if you guys, I don't know, thought about _helping _him instead of pushing his buttons?"

"Hey, I tried to help him." Leo said. "It's not my fault he has a bad temper."

"I never said his temper was anyone's fault." Kuro sighed. "I'm saying there are other ways for us to respond to it." She turned and walked off to the dojo.

"Ah, Kuro." Splinter said, he and April standing in the middle of the dojo. "Just the one I wanted to see. Could you help me with April's training?"

Kuro smiled, setting her book down. "Sure, Sensei."

* * *

Kuro's help with April's training mostly consisted of sparring with her so Splinter could give her notes. This continued for almost an hour before Splinter announced they were finished. He and April walked towards the exit while Kuro took the time to meditate beneath the tree in the dojo. After all this shouting amongst the boys, she needed the quiet.

"Always trust your instincts, April." Splinter advised. "A well-honed intuition can be sharper than your eyes."

"Yes, Sensei. I'll…." April suddenly heard a ruckus that sounded like a fight amongst the boys, and she looked over to see the Turtles struggling with…. "Casey? Casey!"

The boys separated, a bit shocked. "You know this guy?" the Turtles asked.

"You know these guys?" Casey asked at the same time.

"Don't hurt him." April said, standing in front of the Turtles. "He's my friend. Casey, what are you doing here?"

"A better question is how do you know these freaks?" Casey demanded.

"These are the…." April knew it was pointless to come up with a story by now. "Um, other friends I told you about."

"Wait, so they're _not _the bad guys?" Casey asked.

"No way!" April sighed. "Casey Jones, meet Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo…."

"What up?" Mikey greeted, only to be whapped upside the head by Raph.

"And the one and only Raphael." April finished.

Casey rubbed the back of his head in slight confusion. "So the turtles are all…..Italian?"

"No." Splinter said as he came up with a book titled _History of Renaissance Art._ "I named them after my favorite painters and sculptors of the Italian Renaissance."

Casey's eyes widened at the sight of Splinter, and he gasped before giving a girlish scream. Then, he fainted.

"Casey?" April pulled the boy into a sitting position. "Casey, wake up!" She slapped the boy, startling him awake. "This is Master Splinter, Casey. He's cool."

"You do not have to fear me, my friend." Splinter greeted warmly. "Rest assured, I do not bite."

Casey cowered a bit. "He's a giant, t-t-talking rat?"

Raph laughed. "Big bad vigilante's afraid of rats." Mikey then held up one of Donnie's spy-roaches, scaring Raph so much he pulled his limbs and head into his shell.

Mikey laughed this time. "Just like you and cockroaches, huh Raph?"

April smiled, happy Casey finally got an introduction with the Turtles. But she suddenly felt something; a distinct feeling that told her something wasn't right. She focused on the feeling, closing her eyes.

"What is it, April?" Splinter asked.

April opened her eyes. "Sensei, we're not alone." Everyone looked up just as a group of Foot Bots jumped down, ready to fight.

"Raph, you led the enemy right to our lair?" Leo cried incredulously.

"It's the kid's fault!" Raph protested. "He was following me!"

"My fault?" Casey scoffed.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey shouted, charging into battle. Everyone else soon followed, beating down the robot ninjas and slicing some to pieces. Splinter even punched one so hard its head came off. Haiiro yowled and tackled one of the robots, ripping its head off.

Raph and Casey ended up back-to-back in the middle of the fight. "You're the one who did this!" Raph snapped.

"They followed you too, dude!" Casey snapped back, the two of them beating back any robot that came close.

"Don't 'dude' me, dude!" Raph sassed.

Some of the Foot Bots went straight for Splinter, but the rat master was ready. Despite the slight pain he felt from punching metal, he was able to place quick jabs and powerful punches into the robots and send them to the ground to the awe of his sons. But one Foot Bot snuck up behind him, unknown until a black blade katana suddenly flew through the air and pierced its head. Kuro gave a mighty battle cry, wrenching her sword free and parrying blades with another Foot Bot for only a moment before she decapitated the robot.

The boys started cheering, but quieted when they saw Kuro's irritated glare. "Can't a girl meditate for five minutes without chaos descending?" Kuro huffed.

"No way!" Casey gasped, smiling broadly as he approached Kuro. "You're here too?"

Kuro stared. "Uh, guys? Who's your friend?"

"Remember that guy I said I was tutoring in trig?" April laughed nervously. "Well, this is him. His name is—"

"Casey?" Kuro stared at the boy for a long moment, trying to see through the face paint. "Casey Jones?"

"Hey Kuro!" Casey laughed, pulling the girl into a hug and spinning her around. To everyone's surprise, Kuro actually laughed and hugged Casey back.

"Hey Casey!" Kuro laughed as Casey put her down. "It's good to see you again."

"Oh, so you _did _miss me." Casey snickered.

Kuro rolled her eyes and punched Casey's arm. "Oh shut up, Jones." She laughed, but then caught sight of her family's dumbfounded/confused expressions. She rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Uh, yeah. We know each other."

"How, exactly?" Leo asked.

"Well, uh, there's not really an easier way to say this….." Kuro sighed. "But Casey…..is my ex-boyfriend."

Everyone's jaws dropped, sans Splinter who just stared in shock. Mikey looked ready to explode.

"_YOU TWO DATED?!" _The Turtles, April, and Haiiro shouted simultaneously.

"Yeah." Casey put an arm around Kuro's shoulders. "We made quite the cute couple." He didn't notice Mikey's infuriated glare and growl.

Kuro removed Casey's arm from her shoulders. "Yes, but then I decided I couldn't stand your cockiness. Or your affinity for hallway hockey."

"You two…..you and him….." Mikey couldn't even finish his thoughts, looking quite frazzled over the revelation.

"It seems to make so much sense." Donnie mused. "Yet it still seems so wrong."

"Oh yeah?" Kuro huffed.

Splinter's ears twitched. "Stay alert! More are coming!"

"More?" Kuro repeated. Everyone heard electronic chirping, and they turned to the entrance of the lair and saw several more Foot Bots coming in. One Foot Bot stood on top of the game machine, scanning the area.

"Hey, he'll give away our location!" Donnie realized.

Splinter knocked aside a Foot Bot as the small army lunged for the ninjas. "Don't let that robot escape!" Everyone began fighting again, giving the robot time to run away with its crucial information.

"Casey Jones is on it!" Casey called, running after the robot.

Raph knocked him aside, also running after the bot. "Tell Casey Jones I don't need his help."

"Haiiro!" Kuro called, locking blades with a Foot Bot.

"Right!" Haiiro nodded. She took off, running on all fours as she, Raph, and Casey sprinted after the fleeing robot. Raph tried to throw a grappling hook and rope, but the hook caught Casey instead.

"What are you doing?" Casey snapped.

"Me? You got in my way!" Raph snapped back.

"Less talking, more running!" Haiiro growled, leading the way as they resumed the chase. They kept a close eye on the Foot Bot, sprinting down the subway tracks and desperately trying to catch up. Several more Foot Bots came down from the ceiling, mixing with the target.

"Where'd he go?" Casey demanded.

"Haiiro, sniff him out!" Raph ordered. He, Casey, and Haiiro immediately began fighting back as the Foot Bots attacked.

"They are robots, Raphael!" Haiiro snapped. "They all smell the same!"

Raph growled. "Jones, that bot gets back to Karai and gives away our hideout, you answer to Splinter."

"The rat?" Casey asked, confused and a little scared. Then, he noticed one Foot Bot breaking away from the pack and running off. Deducing that was the bot with the information, Casey pulled a spray paint can off his weapon harness, bit off the spray end, and threw it. The can exploded like a grenade, splatting the robot with paint to label it as the target. "Yes!"

"Next time, tag it with a real grenade!" Raph snapped. He, Casey, and Haiiro finished off the robots and took off after their target.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the lair, some of the fighting spilled into Donnie's lab. Unfortunately, this caused some of Donnie's beakers and test tubes of strange-looking liquid to get smashed. So far, only small explosions happened.

"Stop messing around!" Donnie snapped. "You'll blow us to Philadelphia!"

"Sorry, D." Mikey shrugged. The fight continued, the Foot Bots determined to beat down the Lotus Clan ninjas or at least distract them long enough for the other robot to give away their location.

Mikey and Kuro ended up back-to-back as they fought. "You doing okay?" Kuro asked.

"Great." Mikey confirmed, whacking a Foot Bot aside. He paused. "So, uh, what did you ever see in that guy?"

"Really? Are we really going to have that conversation now?" Kuro demanded, parrying blades with a Foot Bot and decapitating it.

"I'm just saying!" Mikey jumped and spin-kicked a robot aside. "I think that, as your current boyfriend, I should know who you've previously dated!"

"First off, I don't believe that's a legitimate rule." Kuro stabbed a Foot Bot that came too close to her. "Second, Casey was the _only _other guy I dated before I met you!"

"So give me the details!" Mikey requested/pleaded. "What was so great about him that you guys dated for…..how long was it?"

"Uh….." Kuro paused in her fighting. "About two or three….years…"

"What?!" Mikey gasped. "You weren't even living in New York that long!"

"Well, he started as a pen pal." Kuro said, clashing swords with a Foot Bot. "Then we tried a long-distance relationship. Then when I came to New York we started seeing each other."

"What _did _you see in that guy?" Leo huffed.

"I don't know." Kuro shrugged. "He's nice, pretty good-looking minus the missing teeth, and he's a little rough around the edges but he has a good heart. I was just attracted to him so we dated."

"Really?!" Mikey whined, his voice raising several octaves to sound almost squeaky. "You went from bad boy vigilante to cute ninja turtle? Why are you even dating me?"

"Because you are also nice, good-looking, and you have a wonderful heart. There, I said it!" Kuro snapped. "Why are you even comparing yourself to him? You two have quite a few things in common."

"We do not!" Mikey complained, whacking a Foot Bot aside.

"Casey and I stopped dating and now you and I are together. End of discussion." Kuro huffed.

"But then why did you break up with him in the first place?" Donnie asked.

Kuro grunted in effort as she slammed her fist into a Foot Bot's face. "I told you, his cockiness began to annoy me. That, and when Shredder found out he threatened to use Casey as a punching bag if I didn't break up with him."

"So would you still be dating him if Shredder didn't say that?" Mikey asked.

"We are _not _talking about this now, Mikey!" Kuro snapped.

"It's a legitimate question." Leo shrugged.

"Casey and Kuro, sitting in a tree." Donnie said in a sing-song voice.

"If you guys don't shut up and focus on the fight, I'm gonna skewer you all!" Kuro shouted. The boys immediately snapped back to attention, realizing that an angry Kuro was much scarier than an army of Foot Bots.

"So, did you guys kiss?"

"_Mikey!"_

* * *

Haiiro, being part cat and all, could put on more speed running on all fours than Casey or Raph could on two legs. Casey finally activated his skates, sliding speedily along the rail of the subway tracks.

"Faster, man!" Casey shouted to Raph. "Move your shell!" Raph didn't even bother to retort, picking up speed to keep up with Casey and Haiiro. But soon, they became aware of a rumbling noise followed by a squeaking sound, and they looked back to discover a subway train heading straight for them! Haiiro was already up on the cement platform and out of harm's way, but Casey had to tackle Raph to one side as the train sped past. "You okay?" Casey asked.

Raph felt a little bruised, but grateful he didn't become a turtle smudge. "Thanks. There he is!" Casey and Haiiro followed Raph's point to see the Foot Bot hopping onto the train. The three of them jumped on, following the robot and readying for a fight. The Foot Bot turned around, two more arms emerging from its torso, and lunged into battle with the warriors. The extra two arms each held a bladed weapon, but Raph and Casey blocked the swipes and Haiiro ducked. The Foot Bot lunged again, its weapons turning to saws, and began swiping at the boys and cat. Raph, Casey, and Haiiro managed to avoid the robot's swings, landing a few hits of their own, all while keeping their balance on the speeding subway train and jumping over/ducking under pipes in the tunnel.

One particularly bad hit forced Casey to bounce off the roof of the train and almost fall to the ground. Raph, thinking quickly, tossed his rope and grappling hook and caught the boy. He pulled Casey back to the roof of the train.

"Thanks, Raph." Casey sighed in relief.

"Now we're even." Raph said.

"A little help here?!" Haiiro snapped, still battling the Foot Bot. She avoided its strikes and sliced her claws across its face, but it only left tears in its clothing and nothing more. Raph and Casey darted forward, but the Foot Bot suddenly turned and jumped up, crashing through the window of a covered bridge in the tunnel. Casey leaped after it, raising his baseball bat and bringing it down towards the robot's head. The Foot Bot somersaulted out of the way, drawing a knife to block Casey's strikes. Raph and Haiiro, after finding a way off the subway, hurried up the stairs to the bridge and lunged into the fight. But the Foot Bot avoided all of their strikes and sprinted off again. Raph, Casey, and Haiiro gave a chase, continuing their battle until Raph could kick the Foot Bot down the stairs.

"I can take this robot down myself!" Casey insisted, sliding down the handrail of the stairs towards the robot. But when he tried to slam his skates into the robot's head, the Foot Bot stood and ran off.

"The exit is just around the corner!" Haiiro shouted as their chase became desperate. "Stop him!"

Raph threw his sai, the blade piercing the Foot Bot's shoulder and pinning him to a cement column. But the Foot Bot simply tore the arm off and kept going. Raph grabbed his sai and they leaped over the old turnstiles, keeping right behind the Foot Bot. To their horror, they could see a set of stairs that led right to the outside.

"He's going for the street!" Casey shouted.

"We can't let him get away!" Raph urged.

Haiiro sprinted forward, leaping off the handrail and lunging for the Foot Bot. She caught its clothing in her claws, snarling as she pulled the robot back and even kicked it down the stairs for good measure. Raph began running up the stairs, grabbing Casey's hand and throwing the boy towards the Foot Bot. Casey unleashed his Taser, slamming the metal into the Foot Bot and electrocuting it. Haiiro kicked the Foot Bot again, sending it tumbling down the stairs and slamming into the gates to the subway. Raph threw one of his sais, impaling the robot's head and destroying it along with the information of the lair's location.

The three warriors regrouped, panting from the adrenaline. "That was too close." Casey breathed.

Raph smirked. "You're a pretty good fighter, Jones." He went over to the Foot Bot and retrieved his sai. "Sure, you're raw, unfocused, dangerous, crazy! But not bad."

Haiiro stood up straight, dusting off her pants. "I must agree. You are certifiably insane, but you are also a good warrior."

Casey gave a sideways grin, raising his hockey mask and approaching Raph. "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." He and Raph clapped their hands together, each one seeming to try and crush the other's hand. Casey smirked. "For an amphibian."

Raph faked a punch, but Casey did the same, and the two of them laughed as they started heading back to the lair. Haiiro followed, smiling at the sight of Raph and Casey apparently getting along.

_Perhaps you've finally found what you needed, Raphael._

* * *

Leo kicked one of the robots into the pool, slicing two more to pieces. When no more came at him, he slowly began to relax. "Is that all of them?" He called. He jumped at the sound of a blade stabbing metal, and he turned to see Splinter destroying the final robot.

"Yes." Splinter nodded. "That is all."

Everyone remained somewhat tense, waiting for one of the fallen robots to stand again. But the fight was finally over. Kuro sighed, sheathing her blade and smoothing out her hair. "Well, that was fun."

"So, you ready to talk about Casey?" Mikey asked.

"Let it go, Mikey." Kuro groaned, putting and arm around his neck and giving him a noogie.

"Hey, what happened to Raph, Haiiro, and Casey anyway?" April asked. Before anyone could answer, they heard Raph's and Casey's excited voices coming from the tunnel, and they turned to see the boys and Haiiro returning to the lair safe and sound. But they seemed surprised to see the carnage of robot parts.

"Aww, what's up?" Casey asked. "No more robots left for me and Raph?"

"Count your blessings." Haiiro giggled. Casey rolled his eyes, leaning on Raph in a friendly manner.

"Whoa, okay." Mikey said. "What's up with you two? You're like best friends forever now or something?"

Casey and Raph didn't answer, but the former gasped a bit when Splinter approached them. "I see you have found a new ally, Raphael." Splinter noted.

"Yeah, Casey's cool." Raph agreed. "I can see why you liked him so much, Kuro!"

Kuro rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Thank you for helping my family." Splinter told Casey.

Casey chuckled nervously, still not sure how he felt about being in the presence of such a ginormous rat. But Splinter's calm, fatherly tone helped him relax. "No problem, Rat Dude. Wasn't a bad warm-up." He cracked and stretched his shoulders and grinned at Raph. "But now it's time to clean the scum off the streets."

Raph gave Casey a playful shove. "Let's do this!" He and Casey slammed their foreheads together, laughing almost maniacally. Then they ran off, apparently ready to fight more of the bad guys and muggers of New York City.

Everyone else stared in confused and mild concern. "Great." Donnie whimpered. "You know what this means, right? Now we have _two Raphael-s!"_

* * *

**A/N: Props to anyone who recognizes the **_**Soul Eater **_**reference!**


	10. The Kraang Conspiracy

**A/N: I know, I haven't updated in a while after the excitement of finally updating some weeks ago. Continuing this story is based on two things. One of those things is my motivation to finish it, which shouldn't waver now that I'm finally getting back into it again. The other important thing is my ability to access the episodes so I can work with the source material. I've been dealing with internet video issues lately, so I will not make any assumptions nor promises about the next update.**

**Until the next episode, enjoy this one!**

* * *

**Episode 9: The Kraang Conspiracy**

A normal night for patrolling. The boys whooped and laughed. Kuro donned in her samurai gear. The five of them flipped off various structures on the rooftops as they ran. Haiiro opted out of patrol that night. She decided to spend the evening meditating with Splinter and cleaning the lair (especially the kitchen, after the mess the boys made with dinner).

Tonight, though, there was a new addition to the patrol: April.

Said redhead lagged behind the rest of the ninjas, however, panting like a dog. She eventually collapsed to her knees in exhaustion. "I never understood how…how turtles could…could be so…so fast….."

The rest of the ninjas paused, returning to April's side. "Come on, April!" Mikey encouraged. "This is just the warm-up!"

"The warm-up?" April gasped, standing again. "For two hours?"

"That's what ninjas do." Leo shrugged. "Training sometimes lasts four, five hours at a time. Awesome, right?"

April groaned. "Are you kidding me? I'm gonna puke. What about a real mission?"

"It took fifteen years of training before Master Splinter let us go on a 'real mission.'" Raph scoffed. "You got a long way to go, sister."

"Not that long." Donnie shrugged. "A decade or two will fly by like that." He snapped his fingers.

April frowned. "For a turtle."

"Maybe we _should_ take her on more missions, Leo." Donnie said. "It makes sense."

"I agree." Kuro nodded, removing her mask. "April's training as a konoichi is basically useless if she can't apply what she learns in battle."

"Yeah!" Mikey agreed. "The best training she could have is hanging with the ninjas!"

"Uh-uh, no way." Leo said. "It's too dangerous."

"What if something happens to her?" Raph added.

"Do we not watch out for one another?" Kuro shrugged. "I think she can handle it."

"You don't know that for sure." Leo argued.

"But we do know that—" Kuro paused, a strange feeling rising up inside her. "Guys…does anyone else feel like we're not the only ones out here?"

"You think someone saw us?" Leo asked.

April suddenly shouted and groaned in pain. "My head!" She gritted her teeth until the pain left her, and she dropped her voice down in volume. "Guys, I think there's someone watching us…right over there!" She turned and pointed across to another rooftop. The ninjas followed her point, and they saw the shadow of a man move in the darkness.

"Get him!" The Turtles shouted. The ninjas took off after the man as he tried to escape. They had to pull out their grappling hooks to get across the street, sliding down the lines and over to the other rooftop. April tried to do the same, but her grappling hook gun wouldn't fire.

"Stupid grappling hook." She muttered. When she finally managed to shoot the hook, it ricocheted off Donnie's shell. April groaned in frustration. "Maybe I should just take the stairs." She jumped when a hook suddenly grabbed onto the doorway structure beside her.

"April!" Donnie called. "Use my rope!"

"'April, use my rope!'" Raph mocked. "She's already slowing us down, Donnie."

Kuro whacked Raph upside the head as they continued running. "Be nice, Raph. Nobody gets left behind."

"This way! Let's move, people!" Leo called. Everyone finally regrouped and crouched down at the edge of a building, looking down towards a fire escape across an alleyway. Their target slipped into an open window to a seemingly abandoned building, and the ninjas were quick to follow. They all paused on the fire escape.

"It's quiet." Donnie whispered. "Too quiet."

"How long have you been waiting to use _that _one?" Kuro sassed quietly. Leo shushed her, and he moved in to open the window with a knife. Once he could, everyone snuck inside the dark apartment room. Raph and Leo pulled out flashlights, shining them around. The apartment held the typical stuff: furniture, tables and desks, and even a TV. But the non-typical stuff included a strange portrait of a cowboy in the Wild West with a UFO in the sky, various pictures and notes hung about the walls and the ceiling, and books and journals strewn about. A corkboard covered in pictures caught their attention.

"It's us." Donnie breathed.

"Not just us." Leo corrected. "Photos of mutants and Kraang. Lots and lots of Kraang."

April focused on one particular picture of her and Kuro in school. "So, what's with all the creep-tastic pictures?"

"And is that really what I used to look like with bangs?" Kuro asked. The boys and April gave her a deadpan look. "What?"

Raph froze a little when he heard a floorboard creak, and he realized they were once again not alone. "Well, I guess we've seen enough here, guys." He spoke up, jerking his head towards the open door across the room. "Let's get out of here." The ninjas prepared themselves as Raph snuck over to the wall. A man peered out from around the corner, and Raph suddenly grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him into the room. Raph pinned the man to the door, a sai blade to the human's chin.

"Don't hurt me!" the man pleaded. "I'm a friend!" The man looked to be middle-aged, wearing a casual brown suit and a beige fedora.

"'Stalker' is more like it." Raph retorted.

The man's dark blue eyes gazed at each of the ninjas in turn. "After all these months, finally face-to-face with the talking ninja turtles, the ninja girl, and April O'Neil herself." Raph backed up a bit from shock at the man knowing who they were, and once the man was free he began walking towards April.

Leo jumped between them, a hand on one of his katana. "You better start talking, pal. What's with the photos? Who are you?"

"The name's Kurtzman." The man introduced. "I was a journalist on the case of the missing scientists last year, and then I discovered something much bigger." Realizing Kurtzman was cooperating, the ninjas relaxed. Kurtzman grabbed a book and, after sweeping aside some objects on a table, dropped the book for all to see. He opened the book, flipping through it to show pictures and documents from throughout history, including Ancient Egypt and the Pilgrims. "The Kraang. The alien infiltration is long-lived. Ancient, in fact. The Kraang have been trying to use mutagen to terraform the Earth for thousands of years. But they couldn't use the mutagen in our universe without a specific chain of human DNA. They spent millennia capturing people, shaping humankind's genetic code, until finally…." Kurtzman held up a photograph that showed a small human baby with bright blue eyes and a tiny tuft of orange hair.

"That's me." April gasped.

"Your mother was taken by the Kraang before you were born." Kurtzman explained. "Then she was experimented on." He turned the page of his journal to show a family picture of Kirby O'Neil and his wife, the latter holding a baby April.

"My mom?" April breathed.

"That's why you're so special, April." Kurtzman explained. "Your DNA can perfect the mutagen in this dimension."

"Wow." Donnie breathed. Most everyone else stared in shock. April held her head, suddenly dizzy from the shock, and Donnie and Leo had to steady her.

"I-I think I need to sit down." April groaned.

But Kuro glared. She had yet to take off her mask during this entire encounter, and suddenly she drew her katana and pointed it towards Kurtzman. The man backed up a little, but couldn't do much as Kuro pressed the tip of her sword under his chin.

"Kuro, what are you doing?" Leo demanded.

"Do you really expect me to believe a word he says? How do we know we can trust him?" Kuro snapped. "He knows an awful lot about the Kraang, and about us, and about _April._ This seems like way too much information for even a stalker to know about."

"She's got a point there." Mikey shrugged.

"Plus, if you knew April's mother was taken by the Kraang, you must've known the O'Neil family." Kuro continued. "Why would April's father not tell her about you?"

"Maybe it was for my own safety." April suggested.

"Yeah, parents keep stuff from their kids all the time to protect them." Donnie said. "Splinter didn't tell us about Shredder for years."

"You can trust me." Kurtzman assured, careful not to move in case Kuro slit his throat. "I promise."

Kuro scoffed. "A promise from a stranger is not a reliable one. Do you really think we're going to believe your story about the Kraang? That they've really been here since ancient times? I don't believe your rubbish talk. How do we know you aren't in league with the Kraang?"

_Bang!_

Everyone jumped and spun around to the door, where a handful of Kraang robots came in armed and ready to fight.

"They found me." Kurtzman whimpered. "I don't know how, but they found me."

"Kraang, the human known as Kurtzman has allied himself with the ones called the Turtles, who are turtles." One of the Kraang-bots said.

"Observed, Kraang." A second robot said. "Disintegrate first. Capture for interrogation later."

"That proof enough for you?" Leo asked Kuro.

"For now." Kuro admitted. The ninjas leaped into battle as the Kraang open-fired. Raph grappled with one robot before smashing it into a wall. Mikey yelped as he dodged laser strikes and threw a couple shuriken to take out the robot. April found one of the robots looming over her, but Donnie took it out with one strike.

"I'll protect you, April!" Donnie said with a smile.

April glared as she stood, drawing out her tessen. "Protect yourself!"

"Girl power!" Kuro cheered, decapitating a robot. The fight continued, despite the limited space in the apartment, and the ninjas began taking out the robots one by one. April looked around for her own target, and she turned just in time to block laser strikes with her tessen. The metal fan suddenly began smoking, and April was forced to drop the hot weapon. She froze up as the Kraang approached, but Leo arrived to cut the robot down.

"Takes a little practice, April." Leo pointed out.

"So I'm told." April sassed with a glare. The ninjas continued to fight until they saw even more Kraang coming in.

"Retreat!" Donnie shouted.

"Uh-oh." Leo intoned. Everyone darted for the window. Kurtzman tried to go back for his notebook, but the onslaught of Kraang firing at him caused the man to tumble out the window and towards the ground. Mikey threw his kusarigama chain and looped it around Kurtzman's ankle, catching the man just before he could hit the asphalt. He eased Kurtzman to the ground and the ninjas landed cat-like around him. April had some trouble, but managed to follow. The sound of screeching tires caught their attention, and one of the Kraang's vans stopped at one end of the alley. The back doors opened up, and a Kraang riding in a spider-like mechanism came towards them. Even worse: the mechanism had a gun on one end.

"Well…dang…." Kuro sighed.

The Kraang fired, and the group scattered across the alleyway. They took off and ran, the Kraang chasing them. But when the Kraang reached the open road, he found his targets mysteriously disappeared. Then, he almost got flattened by the Shellraiser. The Kraang tried firing his weapon at the vehicle, but the Shellraiser then backed up and ran over his cannon before speeding away again.

The Kraang whimpered pitifully. _Stupid ones known as Turtles._

* * *

"Here's the plan." Kurtzman explained. "You infiltrate TCRI. Then wipe out all the data the Kraang have on April's DNA."

"Infiltrate TCRI?" April repeated. "I thought you guys blew that place up."

After parking the Shellraiser in a secluded alley, the ninjas could see Kurtzman was right. TCRI stood right where it always did, looking as though it never exploded.

"Whoa, they rebuilt TCRI?" Raph breathed. "Already?" It was a bit of a blow to the ninjas. All that work they did during the Kraang's first big attack on Earth, and somehow the aliens managed to bounce right back.

"We break in, erase April's DNA codes, and get out." Leo ordered. "Infiltration only."

"Let's do this." April said in determination.

"Great." Leo said. "You and Kurtzman stay outside on lookout."

"Stay outside?" April retorted angrily. "On lookout?"

"No problem." Kurtzman assured, reaching into his pocket and handing Leo a key card. "Take this. It's a key care I stole from one of their vans. It'll get you into TCRI."

"Thanks, Mr. Kurtzman." Leo said gratefully. He and his brothers and sister hurried off. It only took a few minutes to reach a tall enough building nearby, and Leo shot a grappling hook into the side of the TCRI building.

A grunt caught everyone's attention, and they turned to see a familiar redhead had followed them. April grunted as she pulled herself over the edge and onto the roof, panting as she walked over to the boys.

"All right, April." Leo said. "Stay here and maintain radio communication."

April scoffed. "But I want in on the action too."

"Come on, guys." Kuro said. "Let her come."

"No, Kuro." Leo ordered. He slid across the rope towards TCRI. Mikey and Raph followed.

"Don't worry." Donnie told April. "We'll be back in two shakes of a Kraang tentacle." He followed his brothers.

"Wait outside like some stupid sidekick?" April huffed. "I don't think so."

"Atta girl, April." Kuro laughed. "But, uh, how are you going to get across?"

April smirked at Kuro. "Well, you couldbe a good friend and help me."

"Are you trying to guilt trip me into helping you?" Kuro crossed her arms.

"Maybe." April intoned.

Kuro laughed. "I knew there was a reason I became friends with you." She tossed April her slider hook, allowing the redhead to ride the rope to TCRI. When April looked back, she saw Kuro leap up onto the rope and dart across it like a tightrope walker, landing skillfully beside April.

"Whoa." April breathed. "Why didn't you let _me _do that?"

"One step at a time, April." Kuro laughed, leading her into an air duct. The girls crawled through for a minute, following the Turtles' trail, and dropped down right in their midst. The boys jumped, surprised by the girls' sudden appearance.

"Kuro, you let April follow us?" Leo whined.

"April, what are you doing here?" Raph demanded.

"I told you, I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines." April snapped.

"Fine." Leo said. "Just be quiet, stay close, and do not…let Mikey touch anything."

Not a second later, a buzzer beeped from the Kraang android charging in front of them. "Wasn't me." Mikey said.

"I think they're done charging." Donnie realized. "Let's get out of here!" The ninjas ran, but soon had to duck behind one of the cubicle walls as the Kraang droids emerged from their individual cubicles/charging stations.

"Kraang, does this human suit make Kraang look fat?" one of the droids asked. The ninjas darted away, finally making it to the elevator and hopping inside once the doors opened. Leo swiped the key card and pressed the floor button.

"_The floor known as Level 40 has been accessed to Kraang." _A voice over the speaker said. Everyone sighed in relief.

"Not bad so far." Leo said.

"A little blood pumping is good for the heart." Kuro joked. Everyone waited patiently for the elevator to arrive at the right floor, the area silent save for some rather irritating elevator music.

"This music is makin' my ears bleed." Raph groaned.

Thankfully, the elevator finally arrived and the doors opened. With Leo leading the way, the ninjas ventured into a large, open room. A couple dozen Kraang floated around, eyes closed and strange, thin tentacle things poking out of the top of their heads. The aliens didn't move, nor give any indication they noticed the ninjas.

"What's goin' on, Donnie?" Raph whispered.

"It's a Kraang Sweet 16 birthday party." Donnie said sarcastically. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Shh!" Kuro hissed. She pulled off her mask, staring at the Kraang floating around the room. She didn't have psychic powers like April, but Kuro could sense something going on with the Kraang. "They're so calm. It's almost like they're meditating."

April groaned in pain, holding her head. She heard whispers echoing in her mind. "It's Kraang Prime. Kuro's right. They're meditating, communicating. I can hear their thoughts."

"Whoa, man." Mikey breathed in awe. "You're like 'tele-pathetic'."

"Telepathic, Mikey." Kuro corrected gently.

April listened closely to Kraang Prime. "They're talking about invasion."

"What else?" Kuro asked. "What are they saying?"

Suddenly, an alarm rang out, and the Kraang shrieked as they woke up. "Um, guys? What are we thinkin'?" Mikey asked.

"Run!" Leo shouted, spurring everyone to sprint towards the door.

"Some stealth mission." Raph scoffed.

"Dudes!" Mikey yelped, alerting everyone's attention to the small army of Kraang droids that appeared. "It's that freaky chick with the exploding elbows!"

Leo desperately pounded on the elevator button, but he and the others had to jump out of the way as two rockets from the "exploding elbows" hit the spot where they used to stand. They leaped into battle. Leo cut down a trio of droids firing at Donnie and April, using the gun of one droid to shoot the flying Kraang out of the air.

"We gotta get to that door!" Leo urged, pointing to their destination. But they soon found their path blocked. The ninjas drew their weapons, ready to fight their way through.

April drew her tessen and began running to help, but she felt a cold metal hand wrap around her wrist. "It is the human known as April O'Neil." A Kraang droid said.

April grunted in effort as she slashed and slapped her tessen against the droid's head. "I am not gonna ask for help." She swung her tessen again, but this time the droid caught her hand. "Um, help! Help!" She yelped as the droid started pulling her out the door. "Donnie!"

"April!" Donnie shouted.

"Let go of my friend!" Kuro snapped, darting after April. She followed the droid down a hallway, careful to keep at least April's kicking legs in sight. But as she rounded a corner, several Kraang droids appeared and began firing at her.

"Kuro!" April screamed. "Help me!"

"Just hang on, April!" Kuro called, drawing her katana and deflecting the Kraang's strikes. She leaped around the hallway, dodging the lasers from their guns, and used her katana to deflect some of their strikes back at them. She took out one droid and decapitated another, but the last two shot at her relentlessly. Kuro jumped back, deflecting and dodging, but one blast caught her off-guard. She saw a flash of pink and then she felt pain in her forehead. She fell to the ground, but she knew the blast hadn't killed her. In the end, her strong metal facemask saved her life even if it made the blast feel like a baseball to the face. Kuro suddenly got an idea, and she lay still on the ground. The Kraang stopped firing, and she heard them walking closer to her. Kuro fought to keep her breathing shallow, almost nonexistent.

"The ally of the Turtles has been terminated." One of the droids said. "What about the ones known as the Turtles?"

"Kraang has sent an April clone to do the taking care of the ones known as the Turtles." The second droid said. "Soon, Kraang will have the DNA of the human known as April O'Neil, and the mutagen will be perfected."

_Oh I don't think so._ Kuro thought. She opened her eyes and suddenly jumped to her feet. Before the Kraang could react, Kuro pulled out a smoke bomb and smashed it at her feet, giving her the cover she needed to dart off into another room. But she only got so far before her foot hit open air, and she realized she stood on an open platform. Kuro jumped, ricocheting off a structure in the middle of the room and flipping down to land perfectly on the floor.

Kuro sighed. "Well that was exciting." She looked around the room and her jaw dropped. All around her, she could see what looked like April. But it couldn't have been, because in each aquarium-like tank that surrounded Kuro, she saw an April. "Talk about seeing double…..or rather quintuple."

"I bet whatever's behind that door is pretty important."

Kuro perked up at Mikey's voice, and she ran to a nearby door. Looking through the small window, she could see the shadowy outlines of the Turtles on the other side. "Guys! Guys, in here! You gotta see this!"

"Stand back, Kuro!" Leo called. Kuro obeyed, and soon after the door opened to let the Turtles in.

"Kuro!" Mikey came forward and hugged the girl. "Oh Kuro I was so worried! Don't ever run away like that again!"

"Yes, Mother Dear." Kuro joked, laughing as she hugged Mikey. The Turtles finally got a look around the room, and their jaws dropped when they saw the April copies all around them.

"By Darwin's beard." Donnie breathed. "April clones."

"Weird." Mikey said.

"They're perfect genetic duplicates."

"Weird."

"I bet the Kraang have been growing them to harvest her DNA."

"Weird."

"I got it, okay?!"

"If the Kraang have been growing their own April's, why do they need her DNA from the original?" Kuro wondered.

"Well, these are only clones." Donnie shrugged. "They're DNA won't be a perfect match to April's."

"So where's the real April?" Raph asked no one in particular.

"We'll have to look for her when we can." Leo said. "Donnie, start wiping out those computers."

"Right!" Donnie got to work, typing away on the Kraang's strange computer keyboard. Everyone else stood guard, keeping an eye out for Kraang.

"Hurry, Donnie!" Leo urged. "Faster!"

"I'm hurrying as fast as I can!" Donnie snapped.

A scream rang out, making all of them pause.

"April!" Mikey shouted.

"We have to find her!" Kuro urged. Before any of them could move, however, three Kraang appeared on the platform above them.

"The Turtles survived." One of the Kraang said. "Open the bin that is known as The Reject Bin."

The ninjas spun around as a door opened up in the ground, and they quickly drew their weapons. Through the smoke, a hand an arm emerged, and April's head poked out to grin at them. But the ninjas shouted in terror and disgust when the head appeared attached to some tentacle thing, and a terrifying April clone came from the Reject Bin. It looked something like April, only terrible disfigured and much taller than the ninjas.

"What the heck is that?" Leo grimaced in disgust. The ninjas jumped out of the way as the disfigured clone stomped forward and smacked the Kraang off the platform, growling and saying "derp" repeatedly.

"It's some kind of a reject clone." Donnie realized. "A genetic mishap. An—"

"April-Derp!" Mikey finished.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Kuro groaned. But she joined her brothers as they battled with the "April-Derp", smacking and kicking the clumsy clone.

"You guys take care of the derp." Raph said. "I'll rescue April."

"I'll go with you." Kuro announced.

"Oh, man. I wanted to do that." Donnie complained. But the team split up, Raph and Kuro running off to find April while Mikey, Leo, and Donnie continued their fight.

* * *

April continued to struggle. When the Kraang forced her to change into the strange white clothes she wore now, she didn't exactly expect them to strap her down below a scary-looking machine with a giant needle at one end. When the Kraang announced they needed her DNA, April knew at once that needle would go right into her and might actually drain her of her blood. April struggled fiercely, to no avail, until she heard the machine power down.

"April!"

The redhead looked up to see Raph and Kuro standing on the machine, having disabled it for now. "Great. Saved by Raph." April groaned. "I'm never gonna live this down."

"Well, we've all been there, April." Raph assured.

"You get used to it." Kuro shrugged. She and Raph drew their weapons and leaped down, attacking the Kraang droids. Raph stabbed his sais into the robots and kicked several of them aside, but suddenly several of them grabbed his arms and pulled him back.

"Let me go!" Raph snapped.

"Raph!" April shouted, resuming her struggles against her restraints.

"Back off, Kraang creeps!" Kuro shouted, coming in with her katana. But one of the Kraang grabbed her katana and actually yanked it out of her hands. "Did you guys take steroids or something?" Kuro sassed, trying to kick and punch back the robots. But, after being gone from New York for so long, she forgot how much it hurt to punch metal, and soon the Kraang grabbed her too. The robots pinned her arms painfully behind her back while the others pinned Raph all the way to the floor.

"April!" Raph shouted.

April shuddered, whimpering as the needle came closer and closer towards her.

"No! April!" Kuro shouted.

"Do not struggle." One of the Kraang said. "The one called April O'Neil will soon expire."

She was gonna die. She was going to die. If she didn't do something now, she was going to die a slow, painful death.

"No." April grunted, and then she let out a scream. _"NO!"_

The Kraang screeched in agony, and Kuro felt a small pinch of pain in her head. _That's April's psychic powers. _Kuro realized. _What did she do? _The Kraang robots suddenly powered down, apparently disabled by April's burst of psychic energy. Raph and Kuro were confused, but shook it off and quickly freed April. They helped her stand, supporting the redhead as they walked off.

"You okay?" Raph asked, looking and sounding shocked by what happened.

"Brain on fire. Ready to pop." April groaned. "Other than that…..meh."

"April!" Donnie called, the rest of the team catching up. Donnie shoved Raph back and hugged April. "Oh I'm so glad you're alive!"

Another alarm blared. "Ugh, seriously?" Kuro groaned. "As if we haven't tripped enough alarms tonight!"

"Time to haul shell!" Mikey urged. They all ran, back towards the clone room and hopefully towards the exit. But as they entered the clone room, they suddenly found all of the April clones released from their holding chambers. In fact, the clones effectively surrounded them.

"Where are you going, guys?" one of the clones asked.

"Trying to ditch me?" another snapped.

"Let's get out of here." A third ordered.

"We gotta hurry." A fourth urged.

"Come on!" a fifth encouraged.

"Okay. This is weird even for our lives." Kuro admitted. The ninjas jumped down to the ground, but the clones surrounded them once again. Several of them talked almost at once, making the ninjas' heads spin.

"It's me, April."

"Where are you going, guys?"

"We gotta hurry!"

"Come on."

"Let's get out of here!"

The ninjas backed up, soon finding themselves against a wall. April pushed several of the clones back. "Don't listen to them. I'm the real April." Then, a couple of the clones grabbed April's arm and pulled her into the crowd, each of the clones claiming to be the real one. The Turtles and Kuro soon lost track of their April, and the clones were closing in.

"Which one is which?" Mikey asked.

_I'd like to just slice them all with my katana, but I might hit April. _Kuro growled in frustration. She brandished her katana threateningly. "Back off!" But the clones kept shouting, and Kuro suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to slice them all into April Clone Sushi.

Then, the ninjas noticed a hand holding a tessen, and one of the April's began slicing at the ones around her. Every time one of the clones got hit, they burst into a black, inky substance. The April holding the tessen struck a strong Ninjutsu pose.

"Yep, that's the real April." Donnie said confidently.

That gave everyone the cue to go all-out, and they all laid down their hardest blows on the rest of the clones to make them explode. Despite the apparent grossness of the "April-Derp" on their weapons, the ninjas could finally make it outside for a quick getaway. Unfortunately, the Kraang were right behind them. A van screeched to a halt before them, but the door open to reveal Kurtzman.

"Get in!" Kurtzman urged. The ninjas didn't hesitate to obey, and Kurtzman slammed on the gas the second he got the chance. "Escaping from the Kraang in their own van." He laughed.

"Thanks for the save, Mr. Kurtzman." Leo said.

"I owed you one." Kurtzman said. "So, did you wipe out the Kraang computers?"

"We did, by the skin of our noses." Donnie confirmed.

"The only reason we survived was because of April." Raph realized, looking to said redhead. "Whatever you did back there saved us all."

"Told you we should take her on more missions." Kuro laughed. "But, in all seriousness, that was truly amazing."

"I have no clue what I did." April sighed. "I was freaking out, and then _zap_, the Kraang were toast." Nobody could really explain what happened, but they were just thankful April's life was saved along with their own. Answers could be found when they were all safely home.

Kurtzman pulled into a secluded alleyway. "You walk from here."

"Thank you, Mr. Kurtzman." Kuro said as everyone unloaded from the van. "You've proven yourself an ally."

"Glad I could help." Kurtzman said with a smile. "Well, I'm off. Somebody's got to keep an eye on the Kraang. They're everywhere. If you ever need my expertise, you know where to find me." He handed Leo a business card with his contact information on it. The ninjas thanked Kurtzman again before hurrying back to the lair. Kurtzman was certainly an eccentric ally, but at least they knew he would be a reliable one.

* * *

April felt great relief at finally being able to change into her normal clothes, but she like everyone else were anxious to see Donnie's test results on April's blood. There had to be a certain reason why the Kraang were interested in April's particular DNA, and it would finally shed some light on the subject if they knew why. Everyone watched as Donnie looked at his sample under a microscope. He didn't say anything for a long time.

"Well, what'd you find out, Donnie?" Leo asked impatiently.

"This doesn't seem possible." Donnie said slowly, in awe of what he found.

"What is it? What's wrong?" April asked.

"Based on all the info I've culled from the clone lab, your cellular makeup is actually a morphogenesic blend of human and Kraang DNA."

"So, in English, that means there's both human and Kraang DNA _inside _of April?" Kuro clarified.

"Wait." April stared at Donnie intently. "Are you saying…?"

"You're not entirely human, April." Donnie confirmed. "That's why you have psychic powers. In fact, you are a half-human, half-alien mutant."

"A mutant?!" Everyone else cried.

"Aw, yeah!" Mikey cheered, the only one actually excited about all of this. "Welcome to the family!"

April didn't look excited. In fact, she looked downright mortified.

* * *

"_Irasshaimase!"_

Miho gave a nod to the employees behind the sushi counter who shouted to her. A lunch break spent at her favorite restaurant always made her day, and it certainly helped keep her energy up to finish the day's work. She took her spot at the sushi bar and took a look at the menu, wondering if she should have her usual or something different.

Something caught Miho's eye, and she glanced over to a shaded corner of the restaurant. A man in a casual suit sat there, his table not well lit like the others in the room. But he didn't seem to mind, and Miho soon noticed why when she saw the horrid burn scars across the man's face.

Miho glared hard, her fists clenching. She stood abruptly, marching over and standing before the man. He didn't take notice of her at first, but soon looked up to stare at her with his one blind eye and one good eye.

"Miho-chan." Shredder greeted. "Long time, no see."

It took all of Miho's willpower to not punch Saki right in the nose. "What are you doing here?"

"I rather like this restaurant." Saki replied nonchalantly. "I thought I would come in for lunch."

"I mean what are you doing back in Japan." Miho demanded. "You disappeared over a year ago."

"Yes, and I have returned for business." Saki said cryptically. "I'm actually surprised you recognized me. It has been much time since we last talked face-to-face."

"I will always remember those hideous scars." Miho spat. "They are the same scars that were on the man who kidnapped my daughter."

Saki paused, glaring at Miho. "I believe you are mistaken—"

"I am not." Miho assured. "You think no one witnessed Kuro's disappearance? I saw you. I tried to stop you." She looked down. "I suppose your training with the Lotus Clan served you well. Before I could move, you were gone."

Saki shook his head, chuckling darkly. "So you are admitting your failure as a mother."

"I am telling you now, _Shredder_." Miho practically snarled now. "You will stay away from my family. Because if I ever catch you near my daughter or husband again, I will kill you myself." She turned on her heel and marched off, leaving Saki to stare after her. Miho struggled to regain her composure. Seeing Saki after so long shook her to her core. The night Kuro was taken haunted her nightmares, and she would do anything to prevent history from repeating itself. One thing was for sure: she couldn't stand to look at Saki anymore. So she held her head high and marched right out of the restaurant.

She wasn't hungry anymore.


	11. Fungus Humungous

**I guess I owe you all an explanation, because I was constantly thinking about this since I last updated. Here's the thing:**

**First, my videos would not give me any visuals when I tried to access episodes online.**

**Second, by the time I permanently fixed the video player issue, I was in the middle of final exams.**

**Third, by the time I finished exams, I was traveling so often I couldn't reach my computer.**

**Fourth, thank heavens for summer vacation.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Episode 10: Fungus Humungous**

Kuro always loved to be with her siblings when they got together, whether it was watching TV or eating a meal together. But, more often than not, Kuro found that the boys' preference in TV shows greatly differed from her own. She enjoyed reading her books rather than watching a badly dubbed anime series. So, while Donnie, Raph, and Mikey glued their eyes to the television, Kuro continued a new book she recently picked up about Greek mythology. Haiiro also joined them, sitting cross-legged on the ground and grooming her tail and hair.

"Hey Kuro." Leo called from the entrance to the dojo. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Oh brother." Kuro rolled her eyes and walked over to him. "What did I do this time?"

"You're not in trouble, Kuro." Leo assured.

"Really?" Kuro smirked teasingly, her book cradled in one arm and her free hand on her hip. "Because usually you want to talk to me because I'm in trouble."

"Not this time." Leo joked.

Kuro giggled. "Well, what's up?"

Leo rubbed the back of his head. "I just wanted to ask you about something important. Remember when you took control of the team?"

"Back when I worked for my uncle?" Kuro clarified.

Leo nodded. "How did you do it?"

Kuro stared at Leo in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"How did you lead us without being afraid?" Leo asked. "What did you do when one of us were in danger? What if the mission failed and you didn't have a backup plan? What if one of us got hurt? How did you handle that?"

Kuro's stare became more focused and concerned. "Is this about that nightmare you keep having?"

"You know about that?" Leo asked, surprised.

"Haiiro does." Kuro corrected. "She likes to patrol the lair when we go to sleep, and she hears to muttering in your sleep."

Leo glanced towards his brothers. "Does anyone else know?"

"She just told me." Kuro said. "Are you really that scared of failing your brothers? Your team?" Leo looked down, giving Kuro her answer. "Leo, I had to take over your team because I was brainwashed into thinking you guys were evil. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to take over? You are a better leader than you give yourself credit for, Leo. You know your team. Their strengths. Their weaknesses. You have led this team well and you haven't failed them before. Keep doing what you're doing, and I don't see you failing us anytime soon." She put her hand on Leo's shoulder, and he locked eyes with her. Kuro smiled comfortingly. "You are a great leader, Leo. Take it from someone who is a leader herself."

Leo smiled a little. "Thanks, Kuro."

"Guys!"

Everyone's head snapped over to the entrance of the lair. Casey leapt over the turnstiles, out of breath and looking quite freaked out. "April…sewers…hurry!" He panted heavily, unable to continue.

"Casey, what's wrong?" Raph demanded.

"Are the Foot Bots back?" Leo asked.

Casey finally caught his breath. "We were on our way here. Next thing I know, April starts acting freaked out then runs off! She's gone!"

"Wait, wait. You just _lost _April?!" Donnie demanded.

"Donnie, relax." Kuro said.

"Yeah, I'm sure there's a logical explanation." Mikey assured. "Like she was eaten by a giant sewer snake or something."

Donnie's eyes widened. _"LET'S GO!" _He sprinted off, not even stopping as he ran right through Casey and sent the teen to the ground.

"Donnie, wait!" Kuro shouted, grabbing her katana and Donnie's staff. The rest of the team grabbed their weapons and they hurried to catch up to Donnie. Haiiro managed to stop Donnie and force him to slow down so they could regroup and search together. Casey led the way, trying to retrace his steps to where he and April became separated.

"I think…..I lost her around here….." Casey said uncertainly.

"You think?" Donnie snapped. "Well that's not vague or anything!"

"Back off, Stick Master!" Casey growled.

"Who're you calling 'Stick Master,' Puck Head?" Donnie growled back.

"Easy, fellas." Leo barked. "We don't have time for this." They moved on, but not without Donnie clipping Casey's shoulder on the way.

"I trust April can take care of herself, but I would feel better if we knew for sure." Kuro said. She fingered her katana, strapped to her hips. In the rush, she hadn't had time to put on the rest of her samurai gear. But surely she wouldn't need it this time, right? At least, she hoped so.

They continued on, searching for April and keeping their eyes peeled for anything suspicious or dangerous. The only sounds were the squeaking of rats and their feet splashing through the water. They did notice a lot of little mushroom plants popping up here and there. Haiiro's ears began to flatten against her skull, and she flexed her claws. Nobody spoke.

Then Casey yelped, and they all nearly jumped out of their skins.

Turns out, Casey had been spooked by a trio of sewer rats feasting on garbage. "Rats? Why'd it have to be rats?" Casey whimpered.

"Dude, they're everywhere down here!" Mikey said with a wide grin. He picked up one of the rats and began cuddling with it. "They're nature's cuddly little friends."

Casey grimaced. "What's wrong with you?"

"Michelangelo, having lived with creatures that like before, I must tell you that what you are doing is not sanitary." Haiiro said.

"You hear that?" Casey suddenly said. Everyone looked to where the teenage boy sat on the edge of a pipe. He peered into another smaller pipe in the wall, and then reeled back and shouted in disgust. "That was hideous!"

"Dude, you put your nose in a New York City sewer." Raph smirked. "What'd you expect?"

Casey coughed again. "Thought I saw—" He glanced down the tunnel just in time to see a pair of glowing red eyes, and then the shadow of a hulking rat darted away. Casey shouted in terror and jumped back, hitting the wall.

"Casey?" Kuro intoned worriedly.

"What is it?" Leo demanded.

"I saw it, man!" Casey stuttered in fear. "The demon rat!"

"Demon rat?" Raph repeated.

Casey froze, and he glanced down the tunnel. Something sounded suspiciously like squeaking. He stared in horror, and the terror only increased when a swarm of rats suddenly stampeded down the tunnel and began crawling all over him. Casey screamed, swinging his hockey stick wildly and shouting.

To the Turtles, Kuro, and Haiiro, Casey swung his hockey stick and screamed at nothing. There wasn't anything attacking Casey, but he looked like a monster tried to kill him. Everyone looked to Leo, who nodded. Raph and Donnie grabbed Casey's arms and pinned him to the wall.

"Not gonna lie. That felt pretty good." Donnie admitted.

"Let me out!" Casey screamed. "Let me out!"

"Calm down, man!" Raph snapped. He and Donnie backed off, and Casey panted heavily. His eyes became wild. "What is your malfunction?" Raph droned. Casey didn't answer. He suddenly collapsed to his knees and sobbed a little, overwhelmed by the terror.

"What's gotten into him?" Kuro asked. She came over to put her hand on Casey's head, but he swatted her hand away out of fear.

Suddenly, the ninjas heard a scream down another tunnel.

"April!" Donnie shouted as he took off. His siblings followed close behind, practically dragging Casey with them. When they finally found April, she curled in a ball at the end of a tunnel, and she kept muttering and exclaiming in fear. But there wasn't anything attacking her. "April, it's me! It's Donnie! Your dad isn't trying to eat you." April wouldn't turn around, so Donnie knelt down beside her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's all right. Calm down. It's gonna be okay."

Haiiro tensed up, and she growled. "Something smells wrong."

"Wasn't me." Mikey said hurriedly.

"No, hold up." Leo said. "What's that sound?"

Everyone heard a strange sound, like a cushion rolling on the stone of the tunnel, and they looked to see a round…thing…..coming towards them. The round thing stopped in front of them and flattened out. Three eye-like spheres opened up, and the thing stood on a surprisingly thin body. Haiiro hissed, her ears flat.

"What is that?" Raph asked.

"It's a mushroom!" Mikey realized. "With feet! Aw, it's so cute." Suddenly, the mushroom shot forward and latched itself to Mikey's head. He shouted in surprise. "Get it off of me! Get it off of me!"

"You really gotta stop getting close to stuff that could be dangerous." Kuro said, wondering how she could slice the mushroom off Mikey's face without hurting him.

Leo moved first, grabbing the mushroom and wrenching it off Mikey's face. He threw the mutant fungi aside. The mushroom rolled up again and came back.

"It's on the move!" Leo warned.

"I got this!" Raph darted forward with sais drawn and began stabbing at it. But the mushroom easily evaded his attacks.

"Fascinating." Donnie breathed. "Evolved fungi."

"Yeah, really fascinating." Kuro said sarcastically. "Let's kill it already."

Raph lost sight of the mushroom….until it popped up and sprayed some sort of glowing yellow dust into his face. Raph fell to his hands and knees, and he tried to rub the dust from his eyes. Leo fared no better with the mushroom, but when the fungi lunged for Mikey, Donnie used his staff to hit a homerun and send the mushroom out of the tunnel and into the pit below. April and Casey suddenly started screaming again about bats and rats, resulting in general chaos.

"What is goin' on?!" Mikey shouted.

Casey suddenly took off down the tunnel, ramming into Kuro on the way. "Hey!" Kuro snapped. "Casey, where are you going?"

"This is not right." Haiiro growled. "Something is seriously wrong."

Raph groaned as he sat up. "Raphael, are you okay?" Leo asked.

Raph looked to Leo, and this his eyes widened in horror. "No, it's you!"

"Here we go again." Kuro said worriedly.

Raph rolled up and drew his sais. "Anybody but you! Keep away from me!"

"Raph, take it easy, man." Leo said calmly.

"That's it. If you won't stay away, I'll splatter ya!" Raph shouted as he lunged, but Kuro tackled him to the ground and pinned his arm behind his shell.

"Hamato Raphael, you will stop that this once!" Kuro snapped.

"Kuro, be careful with him!" Haiiro warned.

"Me be careful with him?" Kuro snapped.

"Donnie?" Mikey piped up. "Quick explanation?"

"Wish I knew!" Donnie admitted.

"You're not getting me, roach!" Raph shouted. "I smashed you once, I'll smash you again!"

"Roach?" Leo repeated.

"What are you—" Kuro didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. Raph suddenly elbowed her in the chin, twisted out of her arm lock, and threw her into a wall. Kuro's head spun. "Oh wow…that _really _hurt…"

Raph lunged for Kuro, but Leo jumped between them and began parrying Raph's strikes with his katana. Mikey jumped in and slammed the end of his nunchaku sticks against Raph's head, sending him to the ground.

"Sorry, bro!" Mikey said. "You're out of control!"

Raph whimpered at something on his arm, unseen by the others. "Take it easy, bro." Donnie said soothingly.

"No, that's impossible." Raph gasped, pressing himself against the wall.

"We're not gonna hurt you, Raph." Donnie said.

"I might to get back at him." Kuro muttered, rubbing her jaw.

"Get back!" Raph shouted, kicking Donnie aside. Mikey suddenly tackled Raph to the ground, tying him up with his kusarigama chain.

"Come on, dude!" Mikey cried not-so-calmly. "Stop it! Calm down! Breath with me!"

"Michelangelo, enough!" Haiiro snapped. She knelt down in front of Raph. "Raphael, look at me and tell me what you see."

Raph's eyes were wide and his breathing labored. "Get away from me you disgusting roach!"

Kuro finally managed to stand up. "He thinks you're a roach?"

"He believes we are all roaches." Haiiro corrected.

"Keep away!" April shouted. She stood up and swatted at the air.

"April. April, listen." Donnie said, desperate to calm her down. "There are no bats. I promise." In response, April slapped him.

"What is going on here?" Leo asked no one in particular.

"Fungus!" Donnie suddenly cried.

"Language, please!" Mikey said. "There are ladies present."

"No. Whatever's happening to Raph is happening to April and Casey." Donnie explained. "It's like…like they're experiencing their worst fears."

"Casey is afraid of rats." Haiiro ticked each phobia off her fingers. "April fears bats due to her father's mutation. Raphael has a fear of cockroaches."

"They're hallucinating." Kuro deduced.

"I think I know why." Donnie added.

* * *

Leo, Mikey, Kuro, and Haiiro managed to find a safe place in the sewers and set up shop for Donnie to work. They somehow managed to bring Raph and April too, even with the two of them screaming and quivering. Donnie got a swab from April's face, even when the action appeared to paralyze the poor girl with fear.

Haiiro kept growling and hissing. "Would you calm down, Haiiro?" Leo practically ordered. "We have enough to worry about."

"Animals pick up on the energy around them and respond accordingly." Haiiro said with some sass in her tone. "Forgive me if I feel tense as you do."

"We'll figure this out, I'm sure." Kuro said. "Or at least Donnie will figure it out."

Donnie put his swab of April's skin into a beaker of liquid, swirling it around until the blue liquid turned orange. "April's been exposed to toxins found in certain types of fungi." Donnie reported. "Mushroom Man must produce them as a defense mechanism."

"Defense against what?" Leo asked. "Being stir-fried?"

"It's probably just a natural response to feeling threatened." Kuro suggested. "Using the term 'natural' loosely here."

"I'm freaking out! I'm freaking out!" Raph shouted. _"I'm freaking out!"_

"It's okay, dude." Mikey said, crouching in front of Raph. "It's me. Mikey. Give your bro a hug. Make you feel better. Come on, now. Where's the love?" Mikey wrapped his arms around his terrified brother. "Awww! It's right here between my arms!"

"I think I'm gonna hurl." Raph did just that.

"Regardless of why Mushroom Man does this, we must find an antidote of sorts." Haiiro said.

"We should find Casey first." Kuro suggested. "Maybe we'll even find the source of the mushroom."

Leo agreed, so they headed out into the sewers again. Mikey dragged Raph behind him while Donnie gently led April down the tunnel. But even when they called for Casey, they couldn't find the boy anywhere. Raph kept struggling against his bonds, and April screamed at every speck and wall they passed.

They stopped when something caught their sight. "What is that stuff?" Mikey asked.

"It's fungal mycelium, where mushrooms come from." Donnie explained as they continued on, careful to not touch the blue stuff caked onto the walls and ceiling.

"You mean like all these right here?" Mikey yelped, directing their attention to a large patch of tiny mushrooms that glowed blue.

"Fungus grows like crazy in the dark." Donnie explained. "If we don't stop these by sundown, the mushrooms will spread all over the city! Millions of people will go crazy with fear." Donnie stood and observed a section of the blue-black gunk on the wall. He poked it, and then tore it down to reveal an entire tunnel filled with fungal mycelium and many more mushroom patches. The ninjas continued forward.

"Don't worry, Raph. I'll protect ya." Mikey said. He stood closer to Kuro, and they exchanged looks and nods to assure each other things were okay.

Leo paused when he swore he saw a mushroom run across his foot, and the others followed suit. "No, the bats! Not the bats!" April whimpered.

"Don't worry, April." Donnie soothed. "Everything's gonna be all right." A strange squeaking noise echoed in the tunnel, and the ninjas looked up to see several full-size mushroom mutants on the ceiling. "Or not." The mushrooms dropped to the ground, looking quite ready to attack.

"Keep an eye on Raph and April." Leo ordered as everyone drew their respective weapons. "No matter what, stay together."

The ninjas charged into battle as the fungus attacked. Leo and Kuro used their katanas to slice the mushrooms while Donnie smacked them and stabbed them. Haiiro stabbed the mushrooms with her claws or bit them in half. Mikey took a more fun approach and stomped on the mushrooms, one after another.

"Check it out!" Mikey laughed. "Super Mikey Brothers!" But his laughter turned to yelps of surprise when one of the mushrooms latched to his shell. "Get it off! Get it off!"

Donnie raised his staff to smack it off, but paused. "Where did it go?"

The mushroom reappeared and hugged Mikey's head with its body, earning a shout of terror from Mikey. Donnie swung his staff, but accidentally whacked Mikey in the head. The mushroom sprayed the yellow spores, coating Mikey's head and most of his torso.

"No!" Kuro cut down the mushroom and hurried to Mikey's side. "Mikey, are you okay?"

Mikey didn't answer for a moment, too busy getting the spores out of his mouth. Then, he shouted in horror. "Squirrelanoids!"

"Squirrelanoids?" Kuro repeated in confusion.

Mikey shouted and stumbled back, tripping over Raph and loosening the chain around him. The two of them sat up, looked at each other, and then screamed in terror. They turned and ran off in different directions down the tunnel.

"No, stop!" Haiiro called.

"Mikey!" Kuro shouted.

"Run, Kuro!" Mikey shouted. "Don't let the Squirrelanoids get you!"

"Guys, wait!" Leo shouted. "Stop!"

Haiiro and Donnie continued to fight, taking down any mushroom that came within striking range. Kuro noticed a mushroom coming up in Donnie's blind spot. "Donnie, watch out!" Kuro called.

Too late. The mushroom sprayed the spores, dousing both Donnie and Haiiro. Within seconds, the two of them began reacting to their hallucinations.

"She hates me!" Donnie screamed. "April hates me!"

Haiiro yowled. "Dogs! Dogs! Bad dogs! Leave me alone!"

Haiiro, April, and Donnie suddenly took off, leaving Leo and Kuro to continue fighting. "I hate to be Captain Obvious, but this is so bad." Kuro groaned, slicing a mushroom.

"Ya think?" Leo snapped. He stabbed one of the mushrooms, but the mutated fungi suddenly sprayed him before it died. Leo coughed, rubbing the irritant out of his eyes. "No. Guys!" He could only watch helplessly as his siblings ran off and disappeared in the darkness of the tunnels. "Everybody's gone. It's my fault. I failed them. It's all my fault." Leo's head jerked to one side as someone slapped him. For a moment, he thought he saw Captain Ryan berating him. But another slap jolted his senses and he realized Kuro shouted at him.

"Leo, stay focused." Kuro urged. "Fight it."

Leo nodded. "Right. We can do this."

"Look out!" Kuro shouted, shoving Leo aside. One of the mushrooms sprayed her as well. "Oh, ugh! Gross!"

"Kuro, whatever you're afraid of, fight it!" Leo ordered.

Kuro nodded, clutching her head with one hand. "I'm trying. Just filter through the noise. We can do this." She and Leo had to jump back when the mushrooms advanced again, but they ended up slipping off a ledge and falling into the darkness.

* * *

"NO!"

Leo and Kuro both shot upright, panting heavily. They exchanged glances to confirm they were fine, despite suffering from brief nightmares regarding their worst fears.

"Come on, we gotta fight our fears." Leo urged, the two of them rising and taking up their weapons. "We gotta get our heads straight. Fight it."

"Fight it." Kuro nodded. A spine-tingling growl rang out in the chamber, and the two ninjas turned to see the true mastermind behind the mushrooms: a giant, mutated mushroom with one giant eye and a body that glowed bright blue.

"Taste…fear…..feed…..." the monstrous mushroom said in a deep, growling voice.

Leo put a hand to his head. Kuro kept blinking, fighting the pain in her head that said her psychic powers were going crazy. "It's in our heads." Leo reminded himself and Kuro.

"We can fight it." Kuro said. "We have to."

Many more mushrooms rose from the ground, ready to help their master feed off the ninjas' fears. "Feed….stronger…spread my spawn…" the monster mushroom said.

Leo and Kuro continued to hear voices and images flashed before their closed eyes. Leo heard his team shouting at him, berating him for failing them all. Kuro heard the Turtles saying all sorts of cruel things to her. But they wouldn't be beaten so easily.

"_Fight it!" _they shouted at once, leaping into action. They sliced at the mushrooms, destroying one after another. The mushrooms continued to come in swarms, trying to attack the ninjas and subdue them. Leo and Kuro were sprayed a few more times, but they stubbornly kept fighting. Thick stalks of mushrooms, like tentacles, rose from the ground to strike them. Swings of their katanas easily brought these down. The mushroom monster sent bomb-like pods filled with the spores, but the ninjas dodged these and jumped up to higher ground.

Leo heard Kuro yelp in pain and surprise, and he turned to see Kuro collapsed on the ground after one of the spore bombs hit her. "Kuro! No!" He hurried to her side. "Kuro? Are you all right?"

"No. No, please." Kuro curled up in a ball and held her head in her hands. "Please, Leo. Everyone. Don't hate me. Please, don't leave me. I'm your friend, your sister, I promise."

"Kuro, I'm not leaving you." Leo assured. "Fight it!"

Tears forced out of Kuro's squeezed-shut eyes. "Please. Please, Leo, don't hate me."

Leo glared hatefully towards the mushroom monster. He jumped up to avoid more strikes, and then lunged right for the monster. But one of the spore bombs hit him halfway, and he was cast into darkness. Leo wasn't sure what happened, but for some reason he felt like he floated in the dark space. Then, he saw images of his brothers shouting at him, blaming him for all their transgressions.

"I can't do it." Leo moaned. "I'm a failure. I'm a failure. I let the guys down. I let them down. I—" He paused when he saw his katana in front of him. He stared at his reflection, which flashed to transform into Splinter.

"_All leaders must face the fear of losing their team."_

That's what Splinter told him. He was right, per the usual. Leo was the leader of the team. He had taken up the responsibility and swore to protect his siblings. After being their leader for so long, how could he give up now? He faced that fear of losing his brothers every day, and he just never realized it until now.

"No." Leo glared in determination. "No, I can't give up." Leo closed his eyes and focused, concentrating his energy to snap out of his hallucination. When he opened his eyes again, he locked his gaze with the monster mushroom. "Your spores won't work on me. I face my fear every single day." Leo drew his katana and stood up, ready to fight again. He turned and brandished his katana in front of him as several mushroom tentacles appeared. Sunlight slipping through cracks in the ceiling caught the katana blades, sending it right towards the mushroom tentacles. The tentacles went into spasms, and the mushroom monster screamed in pain. It clicked instantly in Leo's head. "So that's your fear: sunlight!"

The mushroom monster sent more spore bombs, but Leo skillfully leaped up onto the mushroom tentacles to gain more altitude. He leaped up like a frog, grabbing one of the spore bombs and throwing it right into the crack in the ceiling. The bomb exploded, sending in much more sunlight, and Leo held up his katana to send the light flooding into the cavern.

* * *

When Mikey, Raph, Donnie, April, Haiiro, and Casey finally snapped out of their fearful hallucinations, they mostly felt exhausted from the grueling experiences. But they were also happy to see each other safe and sound. Then they did a quick head count and realized two of their teammates were still missing. April directed everyone back to the large cave where the mushroom monster once rested. Leo lay on the ground, unconscious.

"Leo!" Mikey cried. "Dude! Speak to me, bro! Do you need mouth to mouth?"

Leo's hand shot up to cover Mikey's mouth. "Absolutely not." Leo droned. He sat up. "You all okay?"

"Fine." Donnie said. "But where's Kuro?"

"Here she is!" April and Casey called, pulling mushroom carnage off Kuro's unconscious form. Kuro soon began to stir, and she rose to a kneeling position.

"Kuro?" Leo stood and everyone gathered around. He knelt down next to his sister. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Kuro nodded. She took a look around. "What did you do?"

"I think I beat the mushrooms." Leo said uncertainly.

"Whatever you did, you saved us." Raph assured. "All of us. Thanks, bro."

Leo grinned. "Don't mention it. Come on. Let's get home."

* * *

Once everyone settled in the lair, the general conversation revolved how everyone's fears personified in their minds. The only one who wouldn't talk about her fear was Kuro, who sat in a beanbag chair and stared at a family picture she took a few weeks ago.

Leo approached Kuro, taking a seat beside her. He stared at the picture she held. "So, your worst fear is that we're going to leave you?"

Kuro sighed. "Yeah. I mean, our relationship didn't start out too great."

"Yeah, but you were working for Shredder at the time." Leo shrugged.

"That doesn't change the fact that we used to hate each other." Kuro said. "As much as I hate to admit it, I often think back to that time in our relationship. I'm still afraid that something is going to happen that will drive a wedge between us again."

Leo put a hand on Kuro's shoulder. "Kuro, I'm still afraid to lose my team. But we can face those fears. Even if we have to do it together. You just have to remember that none of us would ever abandon you."

"But what if something happens to change that?" Kuro asked.

"Take it from someone who is a sibling." Leo said, causing Kuro to grin. "We're a family. And family sticks together no matter what."

Kuro pulled Leo into a side hug. "Thanks, Leo. Love ya, bro."

Leo returned the hug. "Love ya, sis."

"Yeah boy!" Mikey called as he entered the lair. "Check it out! I brought us a pizza with anchovies, pepperoni, and….." He flipped open the pizza box. "Extra mushrooms!"

"_Mikey!" _everyone shouted in annoyance.


	12. Metalhead Rewired

**Episode 11: Metalhead Rewired**

Haiiro crouched on the edge of a rooftop, waiting patiently for Kuro to return. She scanned the area, her tail curled around her leg. Her ears swiveled around, picking up little sounds here and there. So far, only noises of the city. Her whiskers twitched, and a soft breeze combed her hair.

Finally, she caught the familiar scent of Kuro, and she saw the konoichi leap across an alleyway to reach her. "You were gone much longer than I thought." Haiiro noted.

"Sorry." Kuro said, removing her mask. "Got caught up talking with Karai. It's been a while since we saw each other, and I think she missed me like I missed her."

Haiiro nodded in understanding. "What news of Shredder?"

"Still in Japan." Kuro reported. "That's all Karai knows. She doesn't even know why he left."

"So what is our next move?" Haiiro asked. "Do we know when he will return?"

"No." Kuro shook her head. "But when he does, I'm going to talk to him."

"I do not like that idea." Haiiro warned.

"Yeah, I figured the guys wouldn't either." Kuro admitted.

"Is that why you neglected to join their training session to come up here?" Haiiro asked.

"Partly." Kuro shrugged. "I also didn't feel like sticking around to see Donnie's robot blow up in their faces."

Haiiro giggled. "I suppose that would have been quite the disaster. But we should be getting home."

Kuro sighed. "Yeah, okay. Just promise you won't tell the guys where we went."

"You have my word as a cat." Haiiro nodded.

The two of them took off, heading back home. But when they found a clear spot to slip into the sewers, they were nearly run over by the Shellraiser.

"Leo!" Kuro snapped as she and Haiiro walked around to the door. "Why don't you watch where you're—" She didn't even finish her sentence when she noticed none of the Turtles inside the Shellraiser. At least, none that weren't made of metal.

"Metalhead?" Haiiro's head tilted to one side in confusion. Donatello's robot invention waved to the girls as he continued to drive.

"And here I thought he would explode during training." Kuro laughed, taking a seat. "Where we off to, Metalhead?"

Metalhead spoke in electronic chirps.

"Did you understand any of that?" Haiiro asked.

"Nope." Kuro shook her head. Metalhead suddenly swerved and stopped, almost sending the girls to the floor. The doors opened to reveal the Turtles.

"Kuro? Haiiro?" Leo tilted his head to one side in confusion.

"That was some crazy driving!" Mikey said it like that was a compliment.

"We weren't driving." Kuro corrected. Metalhead chirped from the driver's seat.

"I called for backup." Donnie said proudly.

The Turtles piled inside and everyone took their seats (with the exception of Leo since Metalhead drove). The boys caught the girls up to speed with what happened.

"I agree with Leonardo." Haiiro said. "If the Kraang are interested in mutants, we must know why."

"It's a good thing Metalhead found us." Kuro said. "Wouldn't want you guys to have all the fun."

"When did you teach him how to drive?" Mikey asked Donnie. The Shellraiser suddenly swerved, nearly throwing everyone to the ground.

"You did teach him how to drive, didn't ya?" Raph demanded.

Whether or not Metalhead really knew how to drive well, he still managed to keep right behind the Kraang van. When they came within a few feet of the van, Donnie noticed ports opening up on either side of the van to indicate the Kraang installed small cannons onto their vehicle.

"Huh. That's new." He said. "Evasive maneuvers!"

Metalhead obeyed, quickly jerking the Shellraiser this way and that to avoid the shots. Some of them exploded right under the Shellraiser, forcing it up a few feet but not tilting it over.

"Return fire!" Kuro ordered.

"Deploy garbage cannon!" Donnie shouted.

"Ew!" Haiiro made a face of disgust.

Raph readied the cannon and fired, but the shots of balled-up garbage didn't do much besides annoy Spider Bytez. Raph took another well-aimed shot, and he destroyed one of the weapons on the side of the Kraang van.

"Yeah!" Mikey cheered. "Garbage beats Kraang rocket!"

"Pull up alongside!" Donnie ordered.

"Now we're talkin'!" Raph smirked.

Metalhead managed to pull up and drive right next to the Kraang van. Donnie, Raph, and Haiiro hurried to the roof, ready for action. They leaped over to the Kraang van, but the van swerved and jerked them all to their knees. Donnie fell off, saved by his bō staff and causing him to dangle between the two vehicles.

"A little help?!" Donnie yelped. The vehicles moved at such high speeds that his staff slipped, and he began falling. But Raph shot a hand down and caught his brother's wrist. While he was distracted, a Kraang tried to come up and shoot him. Haiiro quickly took him down, throwing the robot alien onto the road and causing it to be run over by the Shellraiser. Another robot jumped up, only to be shot by the garbage cannon. Raph finally pulled Donnie up, and the three ninjas leaped back to the Shellraiser.

Metalhead dropped the front jaw-like mechanisms, and he slammed the front of the Shellraiser into the Kraang van. The van swerved, but pulled ahead, and the Shellraiser stayed close behind. But both vehicles took sharp turns, and they began to spiral out of control. The Kraang van crashed right through a garage door. Metalhead, despite his best attempts to regain control, smashed right into a taxi and streetlight.

Everyone coughed as they departed the Shellraiser, which began smoking terribly. "Nice going, Tin-for-Brains." Kuro scolded. Metalhead shrugged, giving a sheepish-sounding chirp. Everyone gathered around the corner, staring at the garage door the Kraang smashed through.

"There's no way out of there." Leo deduced. Everyone prepared to run inside, even Metalhead. Leo would have none of it. "Metalhead, stay with the Shellraiser before you blow anything else up!"

"He stopped the truck, didn't he?" Donnie protested. "The Kraang know we're coming! He can help!" To emphasize the point, Metalhead unfolded several of his weapons, including his flight abilities.

Leo face-palmed. "Whatever."

With Leo leading the way, the group of ninjas and robot snuck over to the abandoned garage. But when they ran inside to fight, they screeched to a halt when they discovered the entire room void of Kraang.

"They just disappeared?" Raph said in disbelief. "That's impossible!"

"Well that's a bit of a buzzkill." Kuro pouted.

"There must be a secret door or a hidden passage somewhere." Leo guessed. "Fan out!"

They all searched high and low, but there didn't seem to be any trace of the Kraang. Mikey checked the same locker twice. Haiiro crawled on all fours, sniffing here and there and everywhere. "This makes no sense. I smell the Kraang everywhere, but their tracks continue to end at walls or in the floor."

"Metalhead, use your scanners to check this structure for any hidden rooms or passageways." Donnie ordered.

Metalhead chirped, and he flew up to float several feet above the ninjas' heads. He did a scan of the room, bathing everyone in a sky blue glow.

"That tickles!" Mikey laughed.

"Tickle ray?" Leo scoffed sarcastically. "Real useful upgrade, Donnie."

"It happens to be a three-dimensional volumetric scan." Donnie sassed.

Metalhead flew back to Donnie and chirped.

"But that doesn't make sense." Donnie said. "There should be tire marks or a seam in the floor. But the Kraang left no trace at all. Just some junk and—"

Mikey's sharp gasp made them all whip around to him. But the youngest Turtle only had his eyes glued to a vending machine in the corner. "Super Macho Burrito?! Whoo! Yes! It's the ultimate combination of pizza and burrito! Pizza-rito!"

"And it's been in there for who knows how long." Kuro added. "You'll get sick eating that junk."

"But it's super and macho!" Mikey protested. With that, he began to shake the vending machine furiously, even to the point where he hit it with his nunchakus. He finally abandoned his weapons and tried to reach through the flap at the bottom. But his fingers just brushed the burrito.

"You heard Kuro. Do you have any idea how long that's been in there?" Raph droned.

"Who cares?" Mikey grunted as he tried to wrench his arm free. "It's super and macho! _Lingua queso!"_

"Your arm's stuck, isn't it?" Raph guessed.

"Possibly." Mikey admitted. "Maybe. On purpose."

Kuro giggled. "Mikey, you're cute, but you don't always make the best decisions."

"I know." Mikey sighed. But he perked up when Kuro kissed his cheek. Raph suddenly grabbed Mikey by his legs and pulled, trying to get Mikey's arm free. When Mikey came flying out, the front half of the vending machine opened like a door to reveal its inner workings to be Kraang tech.

"Kraang technology? In a vending machine?" Haiiro questioned.

"It's like a vending machine from the future!" Mikey said in awe.

"A Kraang computer!" Donnie realized, immediately going to the computer to inspect it. "Mikey, you're a genius!"

"That's how I roll." Mikey said proudly. He blushed a little when Kuro kissed him again.

"Can that computer tell us where the Kraang went?" Leo asked Donnie.

"Metalhead, see if you can its database." Donnie ordered. "It should tell us where they disappeared to."

Metalhead chirped, and he approached the computer. One of his fingers morphed to a spear which he inserted into the Kraang computer.

"Uh, are you sure plugging Metalhead into unknown Kraang tech is a good idea?" Leo asked uncertainly.

"Trust me, Leo." Donnie assured. "The Kraang processor in Metalhead makes him perfectly compatible to their computers. What could go wrong?"

"Well, you did get that processor from a Kraang droid." Kuro pointed out.

"That computer is very high-tech." Haiiro added. "What if—"

They were interrupted by a scream from Metalhead, and sparks exploding from around him.

"That happens?" Haiiro gulped.

_BOOM!_

The resulting explosion didn't seriously hurt anyone, but when the smoke cleared they saw that the Kraang computer had been completely totaled.

"Great, Donnie." Leo complained. "Great. Not only did we lose the Kraang, but Metalhead blew up our only clue to where they went."

"Even worse, he blew up my Super Macho Burrito." Mikey whined.

"On that note, is he okay?" Kuro asked. Everyone turned their attention to Metalhead, who still sparked uncontrollably.

"Must have been some kind of energy surge." Donnie reasoned. "You okay, little buddy?"

Metalhead chirped and gave a thumbs-up, but his lights flickered and he twitched. His fist flew off, and Mikey ducked. But he sighed in relief when the fist flew past him. It came back a second later to grab Mikey's face and pin him to a wall.

"Mikey!" Kuro yelped, rushing to her boyfriend's side.

"Seems fine to me." Raph shrugged.

"Can we go home now? Please?" Mikey begged as Metalhead's fist released his face.

"What about the Kraang?" Leo demanded.

"What about 'em?" Raph scoffed. "Spider Bytez is their problem now."

"But what did they want with him?" Leo wondered.

"Let's figure it out at the lair." Kuro suggested. "Donnie, maybe you can pick something up off Metalhead's drive."

* * *

Everyone gathered in Donnie's lab as he hooked up Metalhead to his computer and began his work. "Metalhead's memory core isn't too badly damaged." Donnie said. He whacked Mikey's hand away when the youngest Turtle started playing with Metalhead's jaw. "Stop it, Mikey. It seems that the Kraang's security algorithms were too complex to decrypt."

"Less science-y, more English-y." Raph droned.

As Donnie talked, he had to continuously push Mikey's curiously hands away from Metalhead. "I should be able to retrieve what he downloaded from the Kraang computer. Mikey!"

Mikey finally knocked his knuckles against Metalhead's head, which began sparking wildly. His arm jerked up, smacking against Mikey's elbow.

"He may take a little time to fix, though." Donnie admitted.

"How long?" Leo asked.

"In technical terms," Donnie paused when both of Metalhead's hands flew off his arms. "A while."

Everyone managed to duck out of the way as the robot hands flew about the room, but Mikey wasn't so lucky as the hands grabbed him and caused him to fall over.

"Can you at least prevent him from abusing my boyfriend's face?" Kuro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No guarantees." Donnie admitted.

Kuro remained in the lab with Donnie while everyone else went out to lounge, killing time until they could get answers. Haiiro retired to bed after about an hour. A couple times, Metalhead's weapon system would fire off or he'd shoot his fist again. But Donnie progress in fixing him was still touch-and-go.

"How's it going, Donnie?" Leo called from the living room.

"Not bad!" Donnie called back. He yelped when Metalhead accidentally released fire from his mouth. Some of the fire burned Donnie's tail, and he ran about the lair for a moment before jumping onto a beanbag chair to extinguish the flames.

"Not a bad shot." Kuro giggled.

"Okay, Donnie." Leo sighed. "It's late. Give it a rest."

"I've almost got it!" Donnie insisted. "Just working out the bugs." He and his brothers yelped and ducked when small rockets from Metalhead flew past them.

"Sorry!" Kuro called. "That was my bad!"

"Can't you just sit still?" Donnie complained as he returned. "I know Mikey can't, but you could set an example."

Kuro giggled. She pulled up the swivel chair and sat in it so she was eye-level with Metalhead. While Donnie gathered some tools, Kuro found herself locking eyes with Metalhead. For some reason, she found she couldn't tear her gaze away. Metalhead's eyes were really just lights shining through angled holes, but they seemed to glow with a new light; a light that would indicate life.

"Does he actually understand what we say?" Kuro asked. "Or does he only understand your orders?"

"Oh, he understands us." Donnie assured. "He can respond appropriately whether it's an order or a general conversation."

"Can he register that I'm sitting here and staring at him?" Kuro asked.

"I think so." Donnie nodded. "I programmed his A.I. to make him more intelligent."

Kuro went back to staring at Metalhead for a moment. "So, you made him more intelligent. Does that mean he has emotions?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that." Donnie shrugged. "He's a robot."

"So what?" Kuro said. "He's made of metal, so he can't have feelings?"

"I don't really know." Donnie said. "Even if he does understand the concept of emotions, he's still a robot first."

Kuro kept looking into Metalhead's eyes, to the point where her own eyes began to hurt. Without any kind of facial movement—or even eyebrows, for that matter—she could never really tell what Metalhead thought or felt. Yet, for some reason, she got the distinct feeling that he did experience emotions like she did.

"Donnie." Kuro and Donnie looked up as Leo entered the lab. "You gotta shut down his A.I."

"What?" Kuro gawked a little.

"Shut down his A.I.?" Donnie repeated. "But that would be like turning off his brain!"

"He's just too dangerous!" Leo protested.

"If it weren't for Metalhead, we wouldn't have caught up to the Kraang today." Kuro reasoned. "He's the reason we found that super computer."

"Kuro's right." Donnie agreed. "We need him, Leo! The Kraang and the Foot are armed up more than ever."

"It's not worth the risk." Leo said decidedly. "Metalhead was glitch-y before he plugged into that Kraang computer. He was taken over by the Kraang once already."

"You're not giving him the second chance he deserves." Kuro protested.

Leo scoffed. "Metalhead is a robot. It's not like he knows any better. He's a hunk of metal and wires that once turned against us."

"It's different this time." Kuro insisted.

Leo looked to Donnie. "Are you sure you can trust him?"

Donnie thought about it. He had built Metalhead to improve and adapt, like ninjas do. But that had ended in a catastrophic failure. He had used Metalhead as a helper lately, and that was great. Putting him back in the field as a fighter could backfire yet again. Donnie sighed. "Maybe you're right. I'll take care of it."

"Sorry, Donnie." Leo said sincerely. He turned and left the lab.

Donnie turned to Metalhead, and yelped when he saw that Metalhead apparently stared right at him. Metalhead tilted his head to one side in confusion. Donnie chuckled nervously. "Okay, buddy. Let's fix ya up." Donnie walked over to his tool kit and rummaged around for the right utensils.

"You can't be serious." Kuro huffed, crossing her arms.

"Leo's orders." Donnie sighed.

"Donnie, you were basically talking about killing a guy while he was in the room!" Kuro snapped. "That's borderline sadistic."

"You can't kill a robot." Donnie droned.

"He's not just a robot." Kuro protested. "He's your friend. Metalhead is _our _friend."

Donnie didn't answer. He finally found the screwdriver he needed and he approached Metalhead. "Just a little reboot, wipe your memory, and you'll be all better."

Kuro noticed that Metalhead kept jerking, as though in fear, and he shook his head feverishly. "Uh, Donnie….."

"This won't hurt a bit." Donnie reached towards Metalhead.

Suddenly, Metalhead grabbed Donnie's arm and judo flipped him into the pool nearby. Kuro jumped. "Well, I saw that coming." Then, Metalhead tore the cables off his head and grabbed Kuro's wrist, practically dragging her towards the door. "Okay, this is a surprise!" Kuro yelped.

Leo, Raph, and Mikey finally made it inside the lab, and Metalhead hid behind the corner. Once the boys slipped inside, Metalhead pulled Kuro with him out the door. He shut and locked the door.

"Metalhead, what are you doing?" Kuro asked. But Metalhead didn't answer. He continued to pull her along as he moved to the garage door and welded it shut. Kuro tried to stay on her feet as Metalhead pulled her into the subway tunnels. "Look, I won't let Donnie shut you down. We'll figure something out. But running away won't solve anything."

Metalhead finally stopped, and he chirped at Kuro.

"What?" Kuro asked.

Metalhead tapped his head.

"Your head?"

Metalhead shook his head. He tapped his head again, specifically at the Kraang symbol.

"The Kraang?"

Metalhead nodded. He punched his palm.

"Beat the Kraang?"

Metalhead nodded.

Kuro thought for a moment. "You know a way to beat the Kraang?"

Metalhead chirped and nodded.

Kuro lit up. "Wait a minute. Do you remember what you picked up from the Kraang computer? Why didn't you say anything?"

Metalhead stared at her.

"True. I guess you were glitch-ing too much. And the guys don't exactly trust you." Kuro sighed.

Metalhead held out his hand towards her, palm up in an inviting gesture. Kuro understood at once. Metalhead was asking her to trust him. She wasn't sure at first, but Kuro knew Metalhead had a plan in mind. If they could stop the Kraang with Metalhead's knowledge, it would be one more victory for the Lotus Clan.

Kuro took Metalhead's hand. "Okay. Let's do this."

Metalhead chirped, most likely a thanks, and he led the way as they ran down the sewer tunnels.

"I just made friends with a robo-turtle." Kuro realized. "Oddly enough, not the most insane thing to happen to me."

* * *

Metalhead led Kuro to a semi-secluded alleyway deep in the city. The way he moved stealthily and purposefully (despite clanking with every step) made Kuro tense.

"Hey, Metalhead." Kuro piped up. "If we're going into Kraang territory, I would prefer to be armed." At the moment, she only had her samurai gear. She didn't even have her helmet and mask. Metalhead unloaded a wooden bat that had spikes on it, and he handed it to Kuro. The konoichi shrugged. "Not my first choice. But it'll do."

They continued on. Kuro didn't want to question Metalhead, but she knew she couldn't just stay silent when the robot turtle led her to a porta-potty. "Uh, are you sure about this?" Kuro whispered in case someone was nearby.

Metalhead nodded, and he opened the door. He quickly pulled Kuro inside, and a flash of purple-pink like flooded her vision. When the light cleared, Kuro found herself in Metalhead's arms as he quietly flew down to the floor of a tall, wide, circular room. The black and pink tech gear all around her told Kuro she and Metalhead came to a Kraang location.

"Good job, Metalhead." Kuro said as the robot hid them behind a column.

Metalhead gave Kuro a thumbs-up.

Kuro took a look around and noticed walkways and cages high above her. Each cage held a different mutant: Dr. Rockwell, Snakeweed, a Squirrelanoid, and even Kirby O'Neil. Now that Kuro saw April's father as a mutant bat, she could understand why April became so afraid of the creatures.

"Metalhead, do you think you can figure out a way to free the mutants and then wipe out the computers?" Kuro whispered.

Metalhead nodded.

"Okay. I'll cover you." Kuro held up her bat, and she began sneaking about the room in search of Kraang who might disrupt their plans. Every time she looked, either no robots could be found or a few would pass by without noticing Metalhead.

Then, her back hit something that moved, and she jumped as she spun around while swinging her bat. The person she bumped into yelped, holding up his katana to block the blow. Only then did Kuro see the Turtles.

"You guys are here?" Kuro asked incredulously.

"Splinter found us, and we managed to follow Metalhead here." Raph explained.

"Can you help us get April's dad?" Donnie asked. Kuro nodded, and the ninjas swiftly and silently scaled their way up to the container that held April's mutated father. The guards were swiftly dealt with, and Donnie began analyzing how to open the cage.

"Uh, guys?" Leo called, causing his siblings to kneel by him and follow his gaze downward.

"Metalhead!" Donnie gasped when he saw his robot at the controls.

"Is he working for the Kraang?" Leo asked.

"Dude! I knew something didn't feel right when he grabbed my face!" Mikey huffed.

"How'd you get away from him, anyway?" Raph asked Kuro.

"I didn't." Kuro corrected. "He's not helping the Kraang. He's trying to take them down."

"He came here to free the mutants." Donnie realized. "All along, we thought he was going crazy, but he's here just to save them!"

"Guys, we got company!" Raph warned, alerting everyone to the Kraang droids that finally noticed Metalhead.

"We gotta help him!" Donnie urged.

"Seconded!" Kuro agreed. She and Donnie leaped down, weapons drawn, and began beating down on the Kraang droids. Leo, Raph, and Mikey quickly joined in as more droids appeared. Metalhead had to pause in his work to unleash his own weaponry. When Metalhead shot his fist, the ninjas managed to help ricochet the metal fist around the room to take out more Kraang.

"Kraang, release the mutant captives that are controlled by Kraang." One of the droids ordered right before Metalhead shot him.

The cages holding Spider Bytez and Snakeweed opened, and the two mutants jumped down to face the ninjas. "The ones that are turtles that I call frogs must be destroyed!" Spider Bytez hissed, stabbing his leg-like appendages down towards the ninjas. The teens quickly dodged the mutant spider's blows.

"Is it me or is Spider Bytez a lot less Spider Bytez and a lot more Kraang-y?" Mikey called worriedly. Mikey jumped to avoid another strike, only to end up grabbing one of Spider Bytez's arms. The mutant spider threw Mikey aside, causing him to crash into a wall. Donnie came up from behind, but Snakeweed grabbed him and Leo had to jump up to slice through the tentacle holding his brother. As the ninjas regrouped, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by Kraang and Kraang-controlled mutants.

"Exterminate all mutants." One the Kraang droids said.

"I don't suppose any of you have a plan?" Kuro asked.

"What do we do, Fearless Leader?" Raph asked Leo.

"I'm open to suggestions!" Leo admitted.

They didn't need one. Metalhead noticed his friends in trouble, and he also pinpointed how the Kraang could control Spider Bytez and Snakeweed. Metalhead flew over to the control panel, kicking the droid at the controls. Metalhead managed to pin down the droid and then rip its arm off, using it to work the controls. Before everyone's eyes, the devices controlling Spider Bytez and Snakeweed short-circuited and then flew off.

"The device that is the control device is no longer controlling." One of the Kraang so aptly noted right before Snakeweed took out three droids in a couple swipes. The ninjas jumped when several Kraang droid parts flew over their heads.

"Frogs!" Spider Bytez shouted. "Are you getting me out of here or do I gotta do it myself?"

"How _do _we get out of here?" Kuro asked. Several more Kraang droids approached, but Metalhead quickly and easily gunned them down.

"Metalhead, see if you can open a portal!" Donnie ordered. "We're getting out of here!"

"Right, all of us!" Leo agreed. "Mutants too!"

Metalhead chirped in confirmation, and he went back to the control panel. Within seconds, all the cages opened in the center and a swirling portal opened up. Slash took his opportunity to smash a few droids for revenge. The other mutants joined in the fray, and an all-out brawl broke out with ninjas and mutants alike pounding on the Kraang. Raph turned after destroying one droid and saw another droid aiming a gun at him. But Slash came down and crushed the droid. Slash cast Raph a look and a miniscule smile, and then he leaped up and out the portal.

Raph grinned. _That's the Spike I know._

The mutants began to take off, heading to the portal and back to Earth and New York City. "The machine that opened the portal must close the portal." One of the Kraang droids said. Two of the droids started shooting at Metalhead, who had to direct his attention to shooting them down. The portal closed.

"Metalhead, you gotta keep the portal open!" Donnie shouted.

Metalhead nodded, and he returned to his work. He used one arm to control the portal while transforming his other hand into a gun to shoot down Kraang droids.

"We'll cover you!" Kuro called.

"Let's get out of here!" Leo urged. The ninjas started destroying Kraang droids as they made their way up towards the portal, jumping from one empty cage to the other. They came across April's father, being held down by the Kraang, and Leo and Donnie rushed to his rescue. The mutant bat looked thankful for the rescue, but jumped away quickly out of fear.

"Mr. O'Neil, fly out of here!" Donnie ordered. "Please! For April. Go, now!"

Kirby glanced to the portal, and then flapped his wings to take off and get out. Kuro and the Turtles quickly resumed their own getaway. Soon, they were right under the portal.

"Metalhead, we're leaving!" Leo shouted.

"Come on, you tin can!" Raph called. "Move!"

Metalhead looked up to them and chirped.

Donnie stared at Metalhead, and then up at the portal. "He has to keep it open for us."

"But what about him?" Leo asked.

"We can't just leave him here." Kuro said. Already, more Kraang droids were making their way towards Metalhead. The robot turtle quickly gunned them down.

"We got no choice." Donnie said regretfully.

"He's risking his neck to save us." Kuro protested. "Can't we at least try?"

"If he doesn't keep the portal open, we'll never get out." Donnie said. "You're right. He's risking his neck for us. We can't waste any more time."

Metalhead paused in his attacks only briefly to gesture for the ninjas to escape. Kuro knew he was right. But she hated the idea of leaving one of their own behind. It took an encouraging pull from Mikey to get her to jump through the portal with her brothers.

Donnie lingered behind, staring at the robot turtle below. "Metalhead."

Metalhead stared at Donnie, chirping and giving him a thumbs-up.

It broke Donnie's heart, but he returned the gesture before jumping into the portal.

Metalhead shut off the portal, and he diverted all his attention to the control panel. Even though the Kraang tried to stop him, Metalhead managed to fire one last powerful blast that decimated the panel and most of the room around him, including himself.

* * *

Despite all the weird things that ever happened to them before, the Turtles and Kuro never imagined they would jump through a Kraang portal and be spit out of a mailbox. They tumbled onto the New York City streets, watching in shock as the mailbox spit out something else and then disappeared into thin air.

Donnie looked to the last thing the mailbox coughed up and saw it was Metalhead's head. The lights on the robotic head blinked and then switched off completely. "Metalhead. Oh no." Donnie crawled over and picked up the head, staring at what was once his greatest creation.

"Dude, he saved us!" Mikey realized incredulously.

"He saved all of us." Leo said.

"At too high of a price." Kuro said sadly.

"You were right, Donnie." Leo said apologetically. "I should've trusted you."

"I programmed him to be intelligent, but I didn't realize how much he had evolved." Donnie said, sounding shocked.

"Donnie, when Metalhead 'kidnapped' me and led me to that portal, I got to see firsthand how evolved he had become." Kuro said. "It's almost like…he was alive."

Donnie stared at Metalhead's head as he stood, still unable to really comprehend it all. How could his A.I. be so strong that it would give Metalhead sentience? It didn't make sense. Donnie knew he hadn't intended it, but maybe he actually gave Metalhead a chance at becoming alive.

"Donnie, I'm sorry about Metalhead, bro." Mikey said. "I didn't really mind it when he grabbed my face. His hands were soft…for a robot."

"Thanks, Mikey." Donnie smiled.

"Do you think you'll try building another Metalhead?" Leo asked.

Donnie turned solemn again, staring at the only thing that remained of the first Metalhead. "Maybe I will. One day."

Deep down, they all knew nothing could replace the original.


	13. Of Rats and Men

**Episode 12: Of Rats and Men**

Leo had gone through some pretty interesting training exercises in the past. But this topped the charts.

"I don't know, Master Splinter." Leo finally said. "This doesn't seem fair."

It didn't seem fair to Mikey, Raph, Donnie, Kuro, and Haiiro either, who sat off to one side and watched as Splinter tied a blindfold around his eyes.

"I assure you, it isn't." Splinter told his eldest son. The ninjas were a bit confused by it all. How could Splinter and Leo spar if one of them couldn't see a thing? Nevertheless, Leo drew one of his katanas and prepared for battle. Leo lunged, swinging his katana down.

He struck air, and then the tatami mat, while Splinter easily dodged around him and ended up behind the turtle. The others immediately began snickering and laughing. Leo frowned, standing and drawing his second katana. He and Splinter circled each other.

"Blind fighting is more than honing your other senses." Splinter said, his ears twitching as he listened to Leo move. "It is about perception and giving the illusion of control." Leo lunged again, but Splinter leaned back to dodge the swipes of katana blades, and he easily sidestepped each of Leo's attacks. "You may think you have the upper hand in a situation, but—" He dodged a few more strikes before grabbing Leo's wrist. "—you do not."

Kuro, Haiiro, and the rest of the Turtles winced as Splinter effortlessly beat Leo to the ground, still completely blindfolded.

"Well that's going to hurt tomorrow." Kuro giggled.

Leo's brothers nearly busted their guts from laughing so hard. "Looks like someone needs a shower." Mikey sniggered.

"How's that floor tasting, Lame-o-nardo?" Raph heckled.

In a flash, Splinter appeared behind his sons and whacked them in the heads with the flat of Leo's katanas, all in one fluid motion. The three Turtles yelped in pain.

"It is not hard to sense loudmouths." Splinter droned.

"Honestly, guys, learn a little grace and humility." Kuro sighed.

"Indeed." Haiiro nodded. "We are not wild animals."

"But we _are _animals." Mikey shrugged.

"Keyword there was 'wild.'" Kuro reminded him.

"You…..Turtles!" Splinter's raspy, growling voice made everyone turn, and Splinter suddenly spun around. He raised the katana he held high, with the explicit intent of striking his sons. "You will fall!"

"Hey, whoa!" Kuro shouted, jumping between Splinter and the boys. She drew her sword to block the strike, but she noticed something: Splinter's eyes were a heated red.

As quickly as it came, it left, and Splinter's eyes reverted to normal. He seemed to just realize what happened, and he quickly dropped Leo's sword. He turned and walked a few paces away, but then fell to his knees with a pained look on his face.

"Master Splinter, are you all right?" Leo asked worriedly.

"I am sorry, my children." Splinter sighed, sounding suddenly exhausted. "This…something is wrong…..I must meditate. We will continue this training another time."

The ninjas knew better than to argue, so they turned and left the dojo. "What was that all about?" Kuro whispered once they left the training area.

"I don't know. I don't think I wanna know." Raph said, plopping down in a beanbag chair.

"I have work to do on the retro-mutagen, anyway." Donnie shrugged as he journeyed to his lab.

"And it's snack time for me! April brought me ice cream yesterday! Whoo-hoo!" Mikey sprinted to the kitchen.

"If you make a mess in that kitchen, Michelangelo, I will make you clean it with your tongue!" Haiiro snapped.

"I'll be careful!" Mikey called from the kitchen.

Haiiro rolled her eyes with a grin. She, Leo, and Kuro joined Raph in the pit, turning on the TV. Kuro scooted closer to Leo. "So what do you think happened to Splinter?" Kuro asked. "I mean, I've never seen him act that way."

"We have." Leo said. "When the Rat King tried to take control of him."

"The Rat King?" Kuro repeated.

"Oh yeah. You were still working for Shredder around that time." Raph realized. He and Leo explained what happened when Falco had a mishap with some mutagen and gained the ability to control rats. In the end, they managed to save Splinter, but they almost got killed by their own father.

"But Splinter defeated him." Haiiro said. "Why would the Rat King try to take control of him again?"

"Maybe he got stronger." Leo said. "But Splinter's strong too. He can handle it."

"If this really is the work of that Psycho King." Raph pointed out. "We don't know for sure that it's him."

Kuro glanced towards the dojo. "Well, let's give Splinter time to figure it out." The others agreed and settled down.

* * *

Splinter put all his focus in his meditation, attempting to get some semblance of peace. What happened during training had rattled him. He could've sworn he heard….that he saw…

_No. That's not possible. _Splinter assured himself. _There is no need to worry._

Once more, he immersed his mind in the silence and allowed the tranquility to engulf him.

There it was again!

Splinter's focus broke, and he fell forward, just managing to catch himself. He stood quickly, but found the area around him suddenly black as night. "No. I defeated you. You were gone!" He had to get away. Away from that man who almost killed his sons. So Splinter ran. He didn't know where he went in this vast, dark void, but as long as it was far away from _him, _he didn't care.

"_I am never gone." _His voice came from all around Splinter. _"I live because you live."_

Splinter skidded to a halt, clutching his head. "Get out of my mind!"

"_I'm even deeper than your mind. I'm inside your very soul. You will give everything to your king. Your Rat King!"_

Splinter desperately tried to fall back into the meditative state, where he could take refuge from this madman. "You have no control over me!"

"_I have what I came for."_

Splinter opened his eyes, gasping softly, and he saw the photo of his family before him. He hated the way his heart pounded and his breathing was irregular. But he couldn't deny it.

The Rat King had returned.

Clutching his head in one paw, Splinter fell to his knees in defeat.

A hand touched his shoulder.

Spooked, Splinter suddenly spun around, swinging a hand and smacking his would-be attacker.

"OUCH!" Kuro yelped, clutching her cheek where Splinter struck her. "Geez! You slap _hard_!"

Splinter's eyes widened when he saw what he had done. "Kuro! I….I apologize…."

"No, no." Kuro assured, rubbing her cheek. "It's fine. I shouldn't have startled you. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

"I am fine." Splinter assured. "But are you sure you are all right?"

Kuro felt something wet on her hand, and she looked at her palm to see it stained with her blood. Splinter had scratched her. But she was quick to catch the look on the rat master's face. "It's fine, Splinter. Really, I'm all right."

Splinter stared at the ground, his ears flat on his skull and his fists clenched tightly. "I am truly sorry."

"I told you, I'm fine." Kuro assured. "But…..I can tell that you're not all right. Do you want to talk about it?"

"It is not something you need to be concerned about." Splinter said, turning away from Kuro.

The konoichi frowned, sighing. "Well, you let me know if I can help." She turned and walked from the dojo, albeit reluctantly. She hated it when Splinter acted this way. Granted, she was guilty of the same thing now and then. But Splinter was the master of the Lotus Clan. If something was wrong with him, what would his students do?

Kuro entered the kitchen to see the others had gathered inside, including April and Casey. Mikey stood in front of the refrigerator, almost defensively. "Hey guys." Kuro greeted.

"Hey Kuro." Casey waved.

"What happened to your face?" April asked, concerned.

Kuro touched the scratches on her cheek. "Oh, I….had a little mishap….with my tekagi-shuko."

"I'll get the first aid kit." Donnie offered, walking to one of the cabinets.

"Thanks. For now, I think I just need some ice." Kuro moved towards the freezer, but Mikey swiftly got in her way. "Come on, Mikey. I don't want these to swell up."

"Swelling's fine! It's good! It's all good!" Mikey said hurriedly.

Kuro raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what did you do?"

"Uh…nothing?" Mikey grinned sheepishly.

Kuro frowned. "Mikey, if you don't move, I'll judo flip you away from the freezer."

Mikey scoffed defiantly. "I'd like to see you—" He shouted in surprise when Kuro grabbed his wrist and threw him over her shoulder, sending the smaller turtle tumbling out of the kitchen.

"Love you!" Kuro called. She reached for the freezer again, but everyone jumped at Mikey's terrified scream. They darted from the kitchen to see that Mikey had apparently crashed right into Splinter. But now, the rat master stood while holding Mikey by his ankle, hissing threateningly.

Splinter's eyes were a heated red once more.

"Guys!" Mikey whimpered. "Sensei's giving me the crazy eyes again!"

"Sensei!" Leo shouted.

Splinter suddenly threw Mikey into Leo, sending both of them to the ground. He lunged, but his children and students retreated back into the kitchen. "What is wrong with him?" Kuro demanded, staring in shock as Splinter went on all fours and hissed menacingly. Everyone ducked away as Splinter suddenly began chasing Mikey all around the kitchen.

Casey dove under a table, his rat phobia kicked into overdrive. "This is _not _helping my whole rat thing."

Mikey suddenly tripped at hit the wall. When he looked up, Splinter stood on the island and glared down at him like a predator about to pounce. Leo, Raph, Donnie, and April suddenly leapt into action, knocking Splinter down and trying to restrain him. But the rat master thrashed fiercely and was easily able to knock them off. He lunged for the closest target—which happened to be Raph this time—but Kuro intervened and whacked Splinter in the head with a broom.

"Sorry!" Kuro winced. Splinter didn't seem to mind. He lunged for her next, dodging her strikes and ducking behind her. To everyone's surprise, Splinter then latched his teeth onto Kuro's ankle. She shouted in pain, smacking his muzzle with the broom. But Splinter still didn't let go until Haiiro bit his tail and then tackled him, sending both of the animal mutants tumbling into the other room. The rest of the ninjas followed, staring in shock at the sight of Haiiro and Splinter circling each other.

"Don't hurt him, Haiiro!" Leo called.

"I won't." Haiiro assured. Splinter lunged for her, but she met him halfway. The fight that followed could only be described as vicious. The two mutants had given in to their animal sides, resulting in a brawl full of scratching, biting, hissing, and growling. None of the ninjas knew what to do. If they tried to break it up, one of them would be seriously injured.

Haiiro jumped onto Splinter's back and bit into his shoulder, not enough to seriously hurt him but plenty strong enough to subdue him. Splinter snarled in pain, and then grabbed Haiiro by her hair and threw her aside. Haiiro landed on her feet, hissing.

Splinter suddenly stood up straight and spoke. But the voice coming out of his mouth sounded very little like his own. "I have what I came for. Soon, New York and the world will be mine!"

Quite suddenly, the glow died down from Splinter's eyes, and he collapsed from exhaustion. Realizing he was back to normal, everyone felt safe to gather around.

"Sensei, are you okay?" Leo asked/demanded.

"What was all that about?" Kuro demanded in a rather panicked tone.

"What happened?" April asked.

Splinter shakily pushed himself upright. His ears were flat and his eyes pained. "The Rat King has returned."

Everyone's eyes widened. Kuro remembered what Leo and Raph told her about the last time the Rat King attacked. She immediately took charge. "Someone get the news on, pronto!" she ordered. "If he attacks the city, we need to know!"

Donnie sprinted to the TV and switched it on, flipping through the news stations. Haiiro helped Splinter to his feet.

"You…..have surprisingly strong teeth." Splinter noted tiredly. Haiiro grinned sheepishly, flashing her canines.

"Guys! Come look!" Donnie shouted.

"Oh this can't be good." Mikey groaned. Everyone gathered around the TV.

"_This is Joan Grody reporting live from Bleaker Street where giant rats have emerged from the sewers. These revolting rodents are snatching people away on this edition of Grody to the Max!"_

The reporter yelped when a herd of smaller rats piled on top of her. In the background, the ninjas could see giant, monstrous rats attacking people in the rainy streets of the city.

"Giant rats." Casey whimpered. "Giant…rats….."

"Maybe you should sit this one out, Casey." April suggested.

"We could really use your help, Sensei." Leo said. "Last time, you took that creep down with one punch!"

"Last time was different, Leonardo." Splinter countered. "The Rat King has grown too powerful. I do not fear for myself, but what he could…force me to do."

"Sensei, Haiiro and I can help." Kuro offered.

"We will stay here with you in case the Rat King tries to take control again." Haiiro said. "I am sure we can handle ourselves against you."

"We're going to need a lot of help up there." Leo reminded the girls.

"Say the fight on the surface is only a distraction?" Haiiro suggested. "What if we all leave, and the Rat King returns for Splinter? I would not take that chance."

"She's got a point, there." Raph said.

"Then what are you waiting for? Go!" Kuro commanded. "There are people up there that need your help!"

"You heard the lady! Let's go!" Mikey urged.

* * *

While the Turtles, April, and Casey went to the surface, Splinter retreated into the dojo to meditate and hopefully keep the Rat King away. Haiiro and Kuro gave him his space, watching TV and keeping their ears open in case he needed help.

"What do you suppose will happen if Splinter can't fight off the Rat King?" Kuro finally asked.

"I do not know." Haiiro said. "I was not even born at the time of the first attack. But if Splinter defeated him once, he can do it again."

Kuro glanced towards the dojo. "I hope you're right."

Meanwhile, Splinter did his best to focus on his meditation. But he could feel the Rat King constantly trying to reach him, to control him. So Splinter focused on his students, his children. He could not let the Rat King control him again, lest he harm the ones he loved.

Suddenly, images flashed across Splinter's eyes. New York City was in chaos as rat monsters caused general mayhem in the stormy, rainy streets. He appeared to be watching from the eyes of one of the rat monsters, chasing a human around the streets of New York. But when the rat monster glanced to a car nearby, Splinter saw his own reflection in the door.

"_Revel in the madness, my brother. There is room for you in my new world."_

"No!" Splinter screamed, clutching his skull. "Get out of my head!"

"_It doesn't matter. You already belong to me. You just don't know it yet."_

"Sensei."

Splinter opened his eyes enough to see Kuro in front of him. "Kuro…..stay away…."

"No. You need to listen to me." Kuro crouched down to be more at Splinter's eye-level. "Don't listen to anything he says. He can't control you just because you're part rat. In your heart, you are still Hamato Yoshi. You're a master of Ninjutsu. You're a father. The Rat King is an idiot who leads monstrous vermin. But you have something that's actually worth fighting for: your sons! The guys, Haiiro, April, Casey, all of us, we trust and love you!"

Splinter's eyes suddenly took on a red glow, and the Rat King's voice came from him. "Really? Do you truly care for them, Splinter? Do you not remember what you did to this girl?" Splinter saw more images, this time of him scratching Kuro and then later biting her. "You hurt her. You don't care!"

"Stop that!" Kuro grabbed Splinter's shoulders and shook him a little. "Don't listen to him!"

"He belongs to me, child." The Rat King's voice still came from Splinter, despite his attempts to stop it. "I am his king. The Rat King!"

"You're no king!" Kuro growled. "You're just a filthy piece of vermin!"

Suddenly, Splinter's eyes became completely enveloped in a red glow. He grabbed Kuro by the throat and spun around, pinning her to the tree. Kuro struggled to breathe, clawing at Splinter's paw and staring with wide eyes as he raised his free set of claws.

Then, the glow disappeared, and Splinter realized what happened. He quickly released Kuro and jumped back. Kuro hit the ground, coughing and gasping. She rubbed her sore throat, staring at Splinter and panting softly. Splinter stared back, horrified by what he almost did.

No, what the _Rat King _almost forced him to do.

Splinter approached Kuro, but she involuntarily flinched. Splinter froze, his ears drooping, and he turned to retreat into his room. Kuro's head dipped, and she slowly walked from the dojo. She trembled as she leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor.

Haiiro approached Kuro, her eyes full of concern. "What is it?"

Kuro sighed shakily. "I was scared of him. I've never been scared of him."

* * *

Things only went from bad to worse. When the others returned from their fight on the surface, Leo sadly reported that Casey was taken by the rats. While trying to figure out a plan, Splinter emerged from the dojo. Everyone fell silent, waiting patiently for their master to speak.

"The Rat King peered into my mind to see what makes me unique." Splinter explained. "With that knowledge, he will create an army of rat people."

"We gotta stop him, Sensei!" Raph urged, jumping to his feet.

"I told you, he is too powerful!" Splinter snapped. He glanced to Kuro. "Even for me."

Kuro frowned and also stood. "I don't believe that. You can find a way to outsmart him. He's cocky and arrogant. It shouldn't be that hard."

"Master Splinter, if there's one time we could use your help, it's now." Leo added.

Splinter slammed the end of his staff into the ground, the echoing _boom _silencing his students. "Enough! I will not put you in danger again! I have already caused you enough harm!" He looked to Kuro again, perhaps unconsciously, and turned to walk away.

"We believe in you, Sensei." April pleaded. "We need your help, and so does Casey!"

Splinter growled a little, but continued on and disappeared into the dojo.

"With or without Master Splinter, we must do something." Haiiro urged. "The Rat King must be stopped immediately or we are all lost."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they each hurried off to prepare for battle. They stocked up on smoke bombs, checked their weapons, and made sure their gear was secure. Mikey mysteriously disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a small cooler. Kuro donned her samurai gear, inspecting her black blade katana. After making sure she was ready, she sent up a prayer to her ancestors, as her parents instructed her to do before every battle.

It would all end tonight.

* * *

Haiiro's animal sense of smell ultimately allowed them to find the lair of the Rat King. She could easily track down the monster rat scent that led the ninjas to the Rat King's hideout. Monster rats milled about the area. Cages hanging on chains attached to the ceiling held the humans captured from the attack. The Rat King seemed to be having a conversation with a white rat on his shoulder, talking about the serum he created.

"There's Casey!" April whispered. "He's alive! And Irma?"

"We can't let the humans see us, April." Donnie said. "You have to free them." April nodded in understanding. The longer the Turtles could stay hidden, the better, even after an attack from giant rats.

Leo felt a hand on his shoulder, and everyone looked to see a familiar face. "Sensei?" Leo breathed.

"It is time the Rat King is dethroned." Splinter said, determined.

Leo smiled broadly. "I knew you wouldn't let us down!"

Splinter gave his eldest son a deathly serious stare. "If I should lose control, you do what you have to do."

Leo and the others prayed it wouldn't come to that. Ultimately, Haiiro probably had the best chance at fighting Splinter, but what if they had to go so far as to kill him?

Mikey grinned, hugging the cooler he brought. "Nothing's gonna happen. 'Cause I got my super-secret weapon."

The group of ninjas split up, silently spreading around the room to begin their attack. They slipped past guarding monster rats with ease. Kuro moved the closest to the Rat King, preparing herself should he try to control Splinter again. April found the rope that held all the cages in the air. Leo positioned himself on a balcony, readying a throwing knife to destroy the serum in the Rat King's hand. Leo raised the knife…..

…..and Splinter suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Leo looked back and gasped when he saw Splinter's eyes a heated red. The Rat King laughed, apparently victorious. Splinter blinked, the redness going away, and he saw what was happening.

"No!" Splinter growled. "Get out!"

"You're mine now, Splinter." The Rat King said. Splinter's eyes became fully enveloped in the red glow.

Kuro made her move, jumping up and lunging for the Rat King. But the white rat on his shoulder, Aristotle, suddenly leaped forward and landed on Kuro's mask. Aristotle climbed up into Kuro's helmet, causing her to scream as she threw the helmet and mask off her. She drew her sword and lunged for the Rat King again, but he grabbed her arm before she could strike him. He used his free hand to snatch a petri dish of mutagen and smashed it into Kuro's forehead. There was very little mutagen in the dish, but the burning sensation caused another scream—this time of pain—to rip free from Kuro's throat. She collapsed to her knees.

"Kuro!" Leo shouted.

"Destroy your sons! One by one!" The Rat King ordered Splinter.

Leo felt Splinter twist his arm around, and he ended up on his back. Splinter tried to push the knife towards Leo, but the blue-banded turtle desperately pushed away. The red glow in Splinter's eyes scared him greatly, and he knew Splinter was ultimately stronger than him. He would die unless someone helped him.

"Forget that, Rat King!" Mikey shouted. He suddenly threw the cooler he held right towards the Rat King. "Oh yeah! Ice Cream Kitty away!"

The Rat King didn't know what to expect, but he certainly didn't see a cat made of ice cream coming towards him. He screamed in pain as the cold feline landed on him, scratching and biting his head. The other ninjas stared in shock at this Neapolitan ice cream cat mutant, unsure what to make of it. But the distraction broke the Rat King's hold on Splinter, and he snapped out of his trance.

"Is that April's cat?" Donnie asked incredulously.

"Absolutely not!" Mikey said quickly.

Splinter and Haiiro leaped into the air, both of them aiming for the platform where the Rat King and Kuro stood. Haiiro went to Kuro's side, but the konoichi seemed to recover from her pain. Ice Cream Kitty fell off the Rat King's shoulders, hissing and yowling as the would-be king darted away. The Rat King jumped into a round tube in the wall, sitting on a chair inside as Aristotle scurried back to his shoulder.

"Destroy them!" the Rat King ordered as the chair dropped and took him with it. Splinter darted after him.

"Haiiro, to me!" Splinter ordered. Haiiro went on all fours, sprinting after Splinter. The two of them leaped down the hole to chase the Rat King.

"You okay, Kuro?" Mikey called.

Kuro stood, putting her helmet and mask back on. "You bet. Let's finish this!"

The chair the Rat King road went a long ways down to another tunnel in the sewers. He leaped off the chair as it crashed to the ground, and he landed on the back of a monster rat.

"Go, Caligula!" the Rat King urged. The monster rat darted off. Splinter and Haiiro finally caught up, and they both went on all fours to sprint after the Rat King.

"You run like a coward when not in control!" Splinter shouted.

"Who said I'm not in control?" the Rat King sneered. "Attack!"

Splinter and Haiiro turned their heads enough to see a tidal wave of rats coming right for them. But they sped up, determined to catch the Rat King once and for all.

* * *

The fight in the Rat King's lair was going surprisingly well. Mikey used some cheese to taunt a rat and then punch it repeatedly. Leo and Raph tag-teamed a rat monster to shove it over the edge of a balcony. April pulled a lever that dropped the cage holding Casey and Irma, the impact knocking the door open. April recruited her friend Irma to help with the rest of the cages, and the terrified human captives ran for their lives. Donnie nearly ended up in the blades of a fan had Mikey not caught him.

Leo and Kuro ended up back-to-shell, each one fighting a rat monster. "You sure you're okay?" Leo asked.

"Well I haven't mutated into a rat monster, so I think I'm fine." Kuro retorted, parrying the rat monster's claws with her sword. "Let's just take care of these guys and go help Splinter!"

"Right!" Leo nodded.

April herded the civilians from the room, making sure they all got out. But she jumped when a rat monster fell behind her. Donnie was quick to leap down and beat back the rat.

"You guys get everyone to safety." Donnie ordered. "We got this covered."

"You always do." April nodded, smiling. She and Donnie split off. April and Casey hurried into the sewers, guiding the civilians back to the surface. Donnie helped his brothers and sister with the fight.

Kuro struggled to beat off an exceptionally large rat until Mikey could jump in and help her knock it unconscious. "Thanks, Mikey." Kuro said.

"A good boyfriend protects his lady." Mikey said proudly. Kuro rolled her eyes, but hugged him. Suddenly, another rat landed before them, hissing and snarling. Mikey gulped. "Nice rat…" He and Kuro prepared their weapons, but a yowl made them look up. Ice Cream Kitty attacked the monster rat's head, beating the mutant away so Raph and Donnie could finish it off.

"Whoa." Kuro said in surprise.

"Ice Cream Kitty!" Mikey gushed, hugging the mutant ice cream cat. "You're my hero!" He licked her face. "And you taste so good."

"Oh brother." Kuro rolled her eyes.

"I think that's all the rats." Raph announced as they regrouped.

"But what about Sensei?" Leo asked.

* * *

The chase after the Rat King led Splinter and Haiiro deep into the sewers, in an area that seemed reminiscent of an abandoned, crumbling town. The Rat King leaped across columns of rocks and old ledges, Splinter and Haiiro right behind him. The Rat King summoned a waterfall of rats, using them to climb to a higher ledge. Splinter leaped after him, digging his claws into the side of the cliff wall. But the Rat King sent more rats, forcing Splinter to fall a ways down before he could catch a pipe and stop himself.

Splinter glared up at the retreating Rat King, and he saw Haiiro jump after him. "Haiiro, wait! We must work together!" But Haiiro either didn't hear or didn't listen. Splinter realized then that Haiiro's predatory cat instincts were probably taking over by now. She didn't see the Rat King as just an enemy; he was prey. But if she couldn't beat him, the Rat King would slip away. Splinter growled. "No….I will not let you escape this time!"

Splinter hauled himself up, digging his claws into the wall and scaling it upwards to reach the ledge.

Haiiro found the Rat King leaning against a wall, trying to catch his breath. "It appears your empire has fallen, oh king."

Through Aristotle's eyes, the Rat King could see Haiiro approaching. "You think you are strong, cat?" the Rat King spat. "You may hunt my brethren, but you cannot defeat me."

Haiiro crouched down on all fours, her ears going flat against her head. She lunged, but the Rat King dodged each of her strikes. She managed to leave scratches in his coat and arms, but it did little to stop him. Then, on one of her lunges, the Rat King sidestepped and punched Haiiro's face. Before she could rise again, he grabbed her by the throat and thrust her into a wall.

"You see, Aristotle?" the Rat King sneered as Haiiro struggled in his grasp. "Even the one who hunts us falls by my power!"

"Let her go!"

Aristotle turned, and he and the Rat King could see Splinter approaching them. The Rat King dropped Haiiro, who crumpled to the floor and began coughing. The Rat King tried to regain control over Splinter, but for some reason it didn't seem to work. Splinter shot towards him, but the Rat King ducked and dodged the attacks albeit clumsily. Even if he wasn't a martial artist, the Rat King could still see Splinter's attacks coming through Aristotle. He even managed to repeat the sidestep from before, and he landed an especially hard punch to Splinter's stomach. The wind was knocked out of the rat master, and he collapsed to his hands and knees. Haiiro watched in shock, and then scurried over to Splinter's side.

"That's right." The Rat King snarled. "Bow before your master, rat! There is nothing you can do that I can't see coming!"

Haiiro moved to attack, but Splinter grabbed her arm and pushed her back. "So….." Splinter smirked. "You still think you are in control of this situation?" He lunged once more, this time not aiming for the Rat King. Instead, he knocked Aristotle clean off his master's shoulder, sending the white rat tumbling into the darkness.

"Aristotle!" The Rat King screamed. He growled in frustration, ripping the bandages from his eyes. "You'll pay for that! I can still see through your eyes!"

Haiiro noticed Splinter calmly taking out a strip of cloth from his sleeve, and she wisely stepped back. This was a battle Splinter needed to finish. The Rat King gasped in horror when he realized Splinter was going to blindfold himself.

"How about now?" Splinter asked, now completely blind and relying only on his other senses.

The Rat King, too, was completely blind now. Since his mutation, he could only ever see things through the eyes of rats. But there were no other rats near him except Splinter. What would he do?

"Control is an illusion." Splinter said.

The Rat King turned to strike, but hit only air. Splinter landed down a few strong, precise blows. "Where are you?" the Rat King shouted.

"It can be even more blinding than the inability to see." Splinter said. "It can—" He easily dodged the Rat King's next attempted blow, and the Rat King tumbled into the darkness like Aristotle. "—send you over the edge." He turned and tore the blindfold free from his eyes. "Goodbye, _my king._"

Haiiro came to Splinter's side. "I apologize for being rash."

"Not at all." Splinter assured. "You were not rash. You were following your instincts." He put a hand on her shoulder. "But next time, we must work together."

Haiiro smiled, and she hugged Splinter. The rat chuckled as he returned the feline's embrace.


	14. Wormquake Part 1

**A/N: Yeah, I know. It's been a while. My only excuse is school, something most of us have to deal with in the world of fanfiction writers. But I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Episode 13: Wormquake! Part 1**

Nagi didn't always get a lot of down time while at work. Whenever he had some time to himself, he would take the opportunity to do something relaxing: read a book he started, doodle on a sketch pad he kept in his desk, or even meditate. Today felt like a meditation day. He leaned back in his desk chair, his hands folded in his lap, and his eyes shut gently. He focused on his breathing: every inhale filled his lungs to their full capacity, and every exhale emptied his lungs akin to deflated balloons.

He stayed in this position for maybe ten minutes before his intercom rang.

"_Oroku-san. Your two o'clock is here."_

Nagi pressed the 'talk' button on the intercom. "Thank you. Send him in." He sat up straight in his chair, staring at the door and waiting patiently.

After a few minutes, a familiar, scarred man in a coal-black suit entered the office and shut the doors after him. "Good afternoon, Brother." Shredder greeted.

Nagi reached into a mini refrigerator under his desk and pulled out two bottles of beer. "I must admit: I was surprised when my secretary said you had scheduled a meeting."

Shredder accepted the alcohol his brother handed him. "I am returning to New York tomorrow. I thought I would stop by one more time. With how busy I'm about to be, I don't know when I will be able to visit again."

"Busy with what?" Nagi asked.

"Work, as usual." Shredder shrugged.

Nagi took a few gulps of his beer. "Usual work being your insane vendetta against someone who was once a brother to us?"

Shredder finished his beer. "My work does not concern you."

Nagi ran his fingers through his hair. "Saki—"

"Do not take that tone with me!" Shredder shouted, leaping to his feet. "Do not speak to me as though I am a child!"

"I am speaking to you as a brother who is concerned for your state of mind!" Nagi shouted back. "Ever since the incident with Tang Shen—including the kidnapping of my child—you have changed too greatly! Your thoughts are consumed with unneeded revenge! You strive to kill someone you once treated like family! Your quest for vengeance has affected not only your own life but the lives of me, my wife, Yoshi and his family, and my daughter!" Nagi sighed heavily. "Please, Brother. I wish you could be happy. If you would only let go of your anger. You have a family here in Japan who will take you back."

Shredder stared at Nagi for a long time. He set the empty beer bottle on Nagi's desk, readjusted his jacket, and turned to walk out the door. "I hope we can arrange another visit soon, Brother." Shredder said.

Nagi sat in his chair again. "Maybe I'll come out to New York sometime."

Shredder nodded. "Until then. Farewell."

"_Sayonara." _Nagi said. _And good luck._

* * *

A normal night of patrolling for the Lotus Clan ninjas. Tonight, it was just the Turtles and Kuro running across rooftops. Things had actually been rather quiet lately. After defeating the Rat King, there didn't seem to be much to do on patrol nights except watch out for the occasional thug in an alleyway. Even the Kraang were quiet. Of course, this made the ninjas both thankful and wary: thankful for a bit of a break, yet wary in case of a surprise.

The quintet paused when Leo suddenly called, "Hold up, ninjas! I have a feeling we're not alone here."

"I feel it too." Kuro agreed, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"You guys are right. We have a potential spy." Mikey turned to a nearby squirrel, making Kuro wonder if he was serious or trying to be sarcastic (neither were really his strong suit). The squirrel darted away.

Donnie shushed everyone. "I thought I heard—"

"Foot! Attack!"

It was Karai and the Foot Clan.

"See ya, guys!" Kuro called, darting off and away from the incoming fight.

"You know, I really hate your stupid neutrality thing!" Leo shouted after her.

"Sorry!" Kuro called back sincerely, leaping off the roof and darting away. Once she couldn't see the fight anymore, Kuro stopped and pulled her helmet and mask off. She sighed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. She knew how much the Turtles hated her declaration of neutrality, but that was just something they were going to have to live with. "It was my choice. I'm sticking with it." Kuro told no one in particular. She glanced towards the direction she ran from, wondering how the fight was going. "Although….I guess it wouldn't hurt to be a spectator." Nodding to confirm her decision, Kuro donned her samurai helmet and mask and started running back towards the fight. She leaped from one roof to another.

Suddenly, the ground began shaking, so much that Kuro tumbled when she hit the rooftop. The violent tremors continued to knock her down every time she tried to stand again.

"An earthquake?" Kuro breathed. "In New York?"

As quickly as it came, the supposed earthquake subsided, and Kuro pushed herself to her feet. She resumed her run to the Turtles, hoping they were okay.

She only ran for a few blocks before Kuro nearly ran right into Karai. The two konoichi managed to skid to a halt before they could collide.

"Hey Kuro!" Karai greeted warmly, hugging her sister.

Kuro returned the embrace. _"Sashiburi, _Karai."

Karai grinned as she pulled away. "Foot, return to base. I'll meet you there." The Foot Bots ran off, Rahzar nodding in greeting to Kuro before leading them away.

"How is everything?" Kuro asked. "Shredder back from Japan yet?"

"Not yet." Karai said. "But we're expecting him to come back soon. Why? You want to see him?"

"Well, yes and no." Kuro shrugged. "I just like to keep tabs on everyone."

Karai nodded in understanding, and then her eyes traveled to the ground. "I've really missed you, Kuro. We all miss you in the Foot Clan."

"I know." Kuro sighed. "Things have been a little crazy for me. I'll try and come visit more often."

"We really could've used your help in that fight." Karai noted.

"Karai, I can't fight the Foot which means I can't fight the Turtles either." Kuro reminded her. "That's what 'neutral party' means."

"I understand." Karai said. "You should've heard Leo during that fight. Tried to tell me my name was 'Miwa' or something about my father." She scoffed. "The lengths that turtle will go to mess with me…."

Kuro's eyes widened a bit. _Leo knows? How could he know?_

Karai sighed curtly. "Well, I should be getting back. See you around?"

Kuro smiled. "Yeah, definitely." The girls shared one more hug before going their separate ways. Kuro kept focused, her pace increasing in speed.

She had a certain turtle to talk to.

* * *

Kuro texted Mikey, who told her they had all returned to the lair to do some investigating on the earthquake felt during the fight. When Kuro finally got back, she found Mikey and Raph watching a news report on the quakes.

"Hey guys." Kuro greeted, pulling off her mask and helmet. They waved back to her. "Have you seen Leo anywhere? I need to talk to him."

"I think he went to the kitchen." Mikey said.

"Thanks." Kuro started towards the kitchen area.

"We really could've used your help in that fight, Kuro." Raph called after her.

"Talk to the mask." Kuro called back, holding up her samurai mask. She found Leo in the kitchen, staring at a kettle heating up on the stove. His gaze was unfocused, indicating he thought very hard about something. Kuro placed her helmet and mask on the counter and joined Leo at the stove. "You know a watched pot never boils."

"This is a kettle." Leo said in a monotone voice.

"Same difference." Kuro shrugged.

Silence for a moment.

"How did you know Karai is Splinter's daughter?" Kuro asked.

"She mentioned something to me about how Splinter killed her mother." Leo explained. "I asked Splinter about it, and he told me the truth. How long have you known?"

"A while." Kuro said. "Found some paperwork Shredder tried really hard to hide. You tried to tell Karai who she really was today."

"I thought I could convince her to join us, to leave Shredder." Leo said.

"Leo, your heart is in the right place." Kuro sighed. "But Karai is _not _ready to know who she truly is."

"So we're just going to leave her with Shredder?" Leo scoffed.

"Don't you remember what happened when I found out I _wasn't _Splinter's daughter? And before that, when I thought I was?" Kuro reminded him. "That was a huge shock for me, and it came with physical and mental consequences. Karai is in this way too deeply. She always had to prove herself to Shredder; he always accepted me fully because I was already his family. Thinking back on it, I think there were parts of Karai that reminded Shredder of Splinter, and he hated that."

"Then we need to free Karai from him." Leo insisted as the kettle began whistling. He poured the hot water into the mug, allowing the tea bag inside to steep. "You got a second chance, a way out of the Foot Clan. Why can't Karai have that same chance?"

"You want some advice?" Kuro asked. Leo nodded. "Get a new girlfriend and let me worry about Karai."

"Karai is not my girlfriend!" Leo snapped, his cheeks burning. "Look, you may have been living with her, but I've had to fight her. You and I have two very different perspectives of Karai's character."

"I don't think so." Kuro denied. "I think we both know Karai pretty well, and we each have different ideas on how to help her."

Leo inhaled the scent of his tea and took a sip. Still too hot. "I don't want to do this just for her. It's for Splinter too. Now that he knows some of his family is still alive, doesn't he deserve to have that part of his life back?"

"Leo, I fully intend to tell Karai the truth someday. I'm going to reunite her with Splinter." Kuro assured. "But she's not ready. We have to be gentle and slow with her, or else the shock might hurt her like it hurt me."

Leo rubbed the mug with his thumb. "I guess you're right."

Kuro patted his shoulder. "Maybe….maybe it's time we told everyone else what we know."

"You think so?" Leo asked.

"It would prevent future awkwardness and shock." Kuro shrugged. "But we should ask Splinter first."

Leo definitely agreed to that, and he and Kuro made their way to the dojo. Splinter meditated peacefully under the tree. Leo and Kuro hated to disturb him, but this was important. So they knelt down in front of their sensei, and Kuro elbowed Leo gently to encourage him.

"Master Splinter, I tried to tell Karai that you're her father." Leo said.

Kuro saw Splinter's eyes immediately fly open, and he cast his eldest son a glare and a growl. _Oh dear._

"I thought if she knew, she might come over to our side." Leo added.

"I would like to know why you didn't tell me about telling Leo Karai's secret." Kuro piped up.

Splinter stood and started walking away. "There is a saying: he who runs his mouth gets a face full of nunchaku."

"They say that in Japan?" Leo asked.

"They would if you were there." Splinter said. "Kuro, the reason I did not tell you is because you did not need to know. I had told Leonardo this information before you returned from Japan. Tell me: what is your opinion on this?"

"I think if we don't approach this situation correctly, it will hurt Karai instead of help her." Kuro said.

Splinter nodded, musing the thought. "Your hearts are in the right place. Perhaps…..it is time she knew the truth. Kuro, do you think you could tell her?"

"Who it comes from will not lessen the blow." Kuro said. "It's _how_ we do it."

"Maybe we should tell the others, Sensei." Leo suggested. Splinter stayed quiet for a long moment, pondering the idea, and ultimately agreed. So he called the rest of the Turtles and Haiiro into the dojo to speak. The teenage ninjas waited patiently as their sensei gathered his thoughts.

"This is difficult, but it is time you all knew the truth." Splinter said. "The child I thought I had lost in the fire, Miwa, is Karai….my daughter." Splinter shut his eyes, and visions of the horrible memory flashed through his psyche. "Fury became flame, and flame darkened the room with soot; and in that darkness, Shredder stole Miwa away from me. I thought she had perished. But she was raised by Shredder as _his _daughter, along with Kuro, and trained as deadly Foot assassins."

"Wait….this can't be!" Donnie breathed.

"It's some kind of joke." Raph insisted. "Right, Sensei?"

"Karai's our sister?!" Mikey gasped. "Kuro, did you know about this?"

"How do you think I found out I _wasn't _Splinter's daughter?" Kuro pointed out. "I could only confirm that after I discovered Karai was Miwa instead of me."

"Your daughter….." Haiiro breathed. "It is incredible, really."

"Sensei, she's still our enemy." Raph reminded. "She was raised by Shredder."

"Yeah, how can we ever trust her?" Donnie agreed.

"You guys learned to trust me, didn't you?" Kuro said. "Karai will be no different. Especially if I'm there with her. Right, Sensei?"

"Yes." Splinter took down his family portrait from the shrine. "There is good in her. I know this. The truth must be told; and it, too, will be an earthquake."

* * *

Kuro returned to her room, going straight to her books and pulling out a variety of paperwork. She flipped through each document, analyzing each one even though she read it all a hundred times before.

"Knock, knock." Mikey called as he came in. "Hey."

"Hey." Kuro greeted.

Mikey peered over Kuro's shoulder. "What's that?"

"Documents I stole from Shredder." Kuro answered. "These are what's going to prove to Karai the truth."

"So are you going to show her?" Mikey asked.

"That's the plan, I guess." Kuro shrugged. "I want to talk to her first, kind of warm her up to the idea. But I don't want to reveal anything until I know she's ready."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Mikey asked innocently.

"When I found out the truth, it nearly drove me insane." Kuro said. "I don't want to see Karai hurt the way I did."

Mikey sighed. "Well, you know more about this stuff than I do; and I know you'll be able to figure this out." He gave his girlfriend a kiss on the head before leaving her to her thoughts. Kuro smiled after him, thankful that Mikey understood her so well.

A soft squeaking caught her attention, and Kuro moved to the secret door in her room that led to the sewers. She opened the door and picked up the rat waiting just outside. "Hey there, little guy. What do you got for me?"

'Movement in the Foot Clan. Shredder has returned.' The rat told her.

Kuro focused hard, and her vision synced with the rat's friend, far away from them. Through their eyes, Kuro could see the Foot Clan headquarters. From the rat's vantage point, she saw Shredder back in his throne. Kuro disconnected from the rat's eyes, groaning anxiously. "Thanks, little buddy. Keep an eye on him." Kuro told the rat, setting him down and watching him scurry away. She closed and covered the door, leaning against it. Ever since Falco had shoved that mutagen into her forehead, she discovered that she now had similar abilities as him: mainly, the ability to communicate with rats and see things through their eyes. This came quite in handy when she wanted to spy on the Foot Clan.

Only now she had a big problem. Her original plan was to talk to Karai before Shredder returned. This was going to make things a lot harder now that he was back.

"Hey Kuro!" Mikey called from another room. "April's here and she wants to show us something!"

"Coming!" Kuro called back. She tucked the documents into a large book and stuffed said book under her pillow. _I'll figure this out. Somehow._

* * *

As it turns out, April came by to show them some new Kraang technology she and Casey found. The tech appeared to be some sort of metal object with three buttons, able to float off the ground on its own.

"And then, you press this button—" April pressed the center button, and a triangle-shaped portal opened. "—and portable portal."

"Wow. The Kraang are always one step ahead." Donnie said.

"I'll bet they've had to amp up their sneakiness with us running around and destroying their stuff." Kuro joked.

"I wonder if this is what's behind the earthquakes." Donnie said. "We're going to have to test it."

"I don't know, Donnie." Leo warned. "You think that's a good idea?"

Casey pushed past Donnie. "If you turtles are going to be slow about it, I'm going."

"You're crazy!" Raph scoffed, shoving Casey aside. "Nuts! Out of your gourd! _I'm _going first!" He immediately ran and leaped through the portal.

"Raph!" Leo shouted.

"Come on, Red!" Casey urged, grabbing April's arm and dragging her towards the portal.

"April!" Donnie called as he ran after them. "Wait for me!"

"Guys!" Kuro shouted too late. They already disappeared.

"We can't let them go alone, dude." Mikey pointed out.

"But Mikey—" Kuro couldn't stop Mikey either as he jumped into the portal. She looked to Leo. "When did you guys get so rash? We can't just go jumping into random Kraang portals. Who knows what's on the other side?"

"Right now, that's a risk I'm willing to take." Leo said. "You coming or not?"

"Not unless you have a plan." Kuro scoffed.

"Fine. See ya." Leo jumped through the portal.

"Hamato Leonardo!" Kuro stomped her foot. "You get your shell back here this instant!" She growled in frustration. "I'm not coming in there, guys! I mean it! If you want me to come, you're going to have to drag me in there!" She crossed her arms defiantly, waiting for someone to return.

Then, Kuro heard a rumbling sound, and the ground began to shake so violently that she fell to the floor. Kuro covered her head with her arms as rocks broke loose from the ceiling and rained down. The lights of the lab flickered. One of the rocks hit the portable portal, closing it and causing it to fall.

Once the shaking subsided, Kuro hurriedly crawled over to the portal generator. "No! No, no, no! Guys!" She tried pressing the center button the way April did, but nothing happened. She tried making the portal float, but that didn't work either. "Oh this is so bad!" Kuro groaned. "What do I do? Tell Sensei? No, it's not like he'd be any better in this situation than I am. Ugh, what _can _I do? They're trapped in there." Kuro stood, placing the portable portal on one of Donnie's desks. "Well, at least Donnie's with them. They can figure things out, I guess."

Kuro didn't see another option except wait to hear from them, so she went into the main room of the lair and started beating up on the punching bag. It did little to distract her from how worried she was, wondering how everyone was doing wherever they ended up.

"Kuro?" Haiiro piped up, coming to stand beside the konoichi. "You are beating that bag the way you do when you are worried. What is wrong?"

Kuro explained what happened with the portal. "I guess I'm just worried about them. I know they can take care of themselves, but it would be nice to know for sure."

"How about you try calling them?" Haiiro suggested. "It would not hurt to try, and then you will know for sure."

"Hey, good idea!" Kuro brightened up, pulling out her cell phone. "Why didn't I think of that?" She decided to try Mikey's number first. He didn't answer the first time, so Kuro tried again. After a couple rings, to her relief, he picked up.

"_Hey Kuro!" _Mikey greeted warmly.

"Hey Mikey." Kuro blinked. "Is that Raph and Leo arguing I hear?"

"_Yeah." _Mikey sighed.

"Why am I not surprised?" Kuro rolled her eyes. "What happened to you guys?"

"_We ended up in this room full of portals, and the one we came in through disappeared." _Mikey explained

"It was another earthquake." Kuro said. "Knocked the portal down and I couldn't open it again."

"_Well, Raph, Leo, and I got out okay." _Mikey said. _"Donnie, April, and Casey are still in that portal room thingy."_

"Want some help finding them?" Kuro offered.

"_Nah, we got this." _Mikey assured. _"You stay in the lair and I'll text you if we need backup."_

"Okay, my Mikey. Stay safe." Kuro hung up and looked to Haiiro. "They're okay. Mikey says to stick around here in case they need help."

"Good." Haiiro nodded. "That reminds me. Splinter would like to see you." Kuro followed Haiiro into the dojo, where Splinter meditated peacefully. The girls knelt before the rat master.

"You need my help, Sensei?" Kuro asked.

"I was wondering if you knew a good way to talk to Karai." Splinter said, opening his eyes to stare at Kuro. "You spent much of your life with her. How can we tell her the truth without causing her pain?"

"I don't think we can avoid all the pain." Kuro admitted. "This is going to really shock Karai. But I would like to approach her alone and warm her up to the subject. If we can get her to really question her relationship with Shredder, it will make her wonder, which is when we can come in with the truth. To further prove her relation to you, I have documentation I stole from Shredder to confirm it."

"How much time will this take?" Splinter mused.

"It may seem like slow going at first." Kuro said. "But if we want to lessen the blow, slow and steady should be the way to go."

Splinter nodded. "I agree. Thank you, Kuro."

Kuro bowed. "I can talk to Kar—Miwa tomorrow if you'd like."

Splinter smiled. "If that doesn't trouble you. For now, meditate with me. I sense a dark cloud over you."

Kuro grinned back, she and Haiiro crossing their legs and meditating with Splinter. In that moment when total tranquility came over her, Kuro realized she didn't take nearly enough time out of her day to sit down and really meditate. She forgot how peaceful it felt, and how lovely it felt to be so calm.

The calm only lasted until they heard the sound of a phone ringing, coming from what appeared to be a round of Swiss cheese sitting on a crate in the corner.

"The Cheese Phone!" Splinter realized. "Truly an emergency!"

"I would be more concerned if you didn't begin that with 'The Cheese Phone.'" Kuro droned, keeping her eyes shut.

"It came from a dumpster. Not my idea." Splinter shrugged. He picked up the receiver on the strangely-shaped phone. _"Moshi-moshi."_ A pause. "Leonardo?"

Kuro and Haiiro opened their eyes, looking to Splinter and hoping to hear good news. But the look on the rat mutant's face said the opposite.

"What is the problem?" Splinter asked, his eyebrows furrowed. A glare quickly developed in his eyes. "Do not fear, my son. I am on my way." He slammed the phone down rather forcefully, making the girls jump.

"Sensei?" Kuro asked.

"Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael have fallen into a trap." Splinter explained hurriedly as he made his way to the door.

"Who could trap them?" Haiiro wondered. She and Kuro quickly followed Splinter as he scooped up his staff to use for a weapon.

"They are merely the bait." Splinter said. "The trap is for me."

Kuro stopped. "The Foot….."

Splinter and Haiiro stopped as well. "Kuro, my sons need your help."

"The Foot are involved. That means I can't intervene." Kuro said. "You know that."

"Surely you can make an exception." Haiiro protested.

"No." Kuro denied. "Look, you guys have dealt with the Foot Clan before. I'll bet this is Karai setting the trap. This is your chance to start our plan for bringing her home."

Splinter turned to face the konoichi. "Kuro, Mikey's life was in danger when Leonardo made the call. What if he needs you?"

Kuro's eyes widened at that, but then she glared. "That's not fair. Mikey understands my commitment to neutrality. Why are you pushing me to break my promise?"

"If this is Karai's work, you should be there as well." Haiiro insisted.

"If I show up to this fight, Karai will think I'm going back on my promise." Kuro protested. "I'm not going and that's final!" She stomped over and plopped down onto one of the beanbag chairs, crossing her arms and turning her face away from Splinter and Haiiro.

Splinter knew he shouldn't pressure Kuro to do something she didn't want to do. This was just so important. Only he didn't have time to convince her; his sons needed him. "Haiiro. Let's go."

"Yes, Master Splinter." Haiiro nodded. She and Splinter took off, running through the tunnels and towards the location Leo gave.

Kuro sighed, slumping down in her beanbag chair. "Why can't you understand?"

* * *

Leo, Raph, and Mikey sat—tied up—next to the hole in the roof that dropped straight to a burning furnace. When they ran into Tiger Claw, maybe his looks alone should've indicated his strength. They got a serious beat down, and now Splinter might pay the price. They could only hope Haiiro or Kuro would come to help.

"I can't believe you called him!" Raph snapped at Leo. "If anything happens to Splinter—"

"What else could I do, Raph?" Leo demanded, remembering how Tiger Claw held Mikey over the furnace and threatened to drop him. If Leo hadn't made the call, Mikey would probably be dead by now.

"The rat!" Tiger Claw snarled. "Where is he?" The three Turtles turned their gazes from him defiantly. "One push, and you all go into the furnace." Tiger Claw threatened.

"Just wait, Tiger Claw." Raph taunted. "Splinter's gonna kick that little stub of a tail so deep in your striped—"

"Silence!" Tiger Claw roared. "I am tired of waiting. Your lives end now." He lifted a foot and began pushing the trio towards the hole in the roof.

Mikey, being the closest to the roof, whimpered. "This is it! I love you guys! Raph, it was me who ate your last piece of chocolate pepperoni pizza! I'm sorry, man. I was so hungry."

If they weren't about to die, Raph would've punched Mikey for that.

Then….

"Release my sons. _Now!"_

The four of them looked up to a nearby rooftop, where Master Splinter stood illuminated by the moonlight. Haiiro crouched on the edge of the roof, at his feet, with her hateful glare locked onto Tiger Claw.

Tiger Claw sneered, speaking in Japanese. "They say the cornered rat bites the cat. Is this true?"

Splinter answered in the same language. "Come find out."

Tiger Claw drew one of his guns and fired, but Splinter and Haiiro dodged the blasts and landed in the space beside Leo, Raph, and Mikey. Haiiro moved to free them, only to jump back when Tiger Claw fired again. Splinter dodged Tiger Claw's shots, smacking pieces of broken roof towards the mutant tiger.

"Haiiro, we're fine!" Mikey hissed, a little disappointed to not see Kuro. "Go help Sensei!"

Haiiro looked to Leo for confirmation, and he agreed. So Haiiro jumped into battle with Splinter. She jumped right up and slashed her claws across Tiger Claw's muzzle, spinning around to give him a strong kick to the chest that sent him flying backwards. Haiiro landed on her feet, her ears flattening on her head as she hissed.

Tiger Claw snarled, drawing a machete. "I prefer to slice you into bite-sized pieces."

"Bring it on." Haiiro snarled. She and Splinter lunged again, clashing with Tiger Claw to resume their fight.

* * *

Kuro, donned only in her black ninja outfit, sprinted down the sewer tunnels and towards the surface. A rat sat on her shoulder, telling her everything happening up above. So far, she had discovered that Shredder recruited another mutant from Japan: a trained assassin known as Tiger Claw. Now, that assassin fought with Splinter and Haiiro.

"Why did I let them go?" Kuro groaned. "I should've just snuck up there to free the guys myself!" She groaned again. "But that would be going against the promise I made. How am I going to help Splinter and Haiiro without breaking my promise?"

* * *

Haiiro and Splinter worked well together, yet Tiger Claw could still hold his own against them. Haiiro could only strike when she saw an opening in Tiger Claw's defenses, and spent much of her time avoiding his strikes from his machete. Armed with his staff, Splinter could parry the blows and land down a few of his own.

With a strong swing, Tiger Claw's sword cut through Splinter's staff to break it in two. The tiger mutant laughed sinisterly. "Now you are defenseless."

Splinter dropped the fragments of his staff. "A ninja is never defenseless."

Quickly, he flung a few shuriken towards Tiger Claw. The mutant tiger deflected most of them, but didn't expect one to impale his jet back and damage it. Tiger Claw snarled in frustration, knowing he just lost an advantage. Haiiro suddenly tackled him to the ground, resuming their fight as Splinter jumped in to help her.

"You got him, Sensei!" Mikey cheered. "Go Haiiro!"

"Slap the stripes off that cat!" Raph encouraged.

Splinter threw a few more shuriken, forcing Tiger Claw to jump back and right towards Haiiro. She jumped up and bit Tiger Claw's paw, which made him release his machete to throw her off him. But she jumped back again and the two of them exchanged blows. They both snarled, hissed, and yowled as they fought more like animals than ninjas. Haiiro even managed to swipe her claws across Tiger Claw's face, leaving scratch marks in his cheek. Roaring, Tiger Claw grabbed Haiiro when she came in with a punch and violently threw her aside. She bounced and rolled, digging her claws into the roof to stop her skidding.

Haiiro hissed at Tiger Claw. He snarled back. "You will pay for that, little cub."

Haiiro smirked. "You forgot something."

Tiger Claw narrowed his eyes, and then they widened in realization. He turned to strike Splinter as the rat snuck up on him. Splinter moved faster, grabbing Tiger Claw's wrist and striking a few pressure points in his arm. Splinter stole Tiger Claw's sword and kicked him back. Tiger Claw tried to fire a bolas, but Haiiro jumped in and caught the rope in her teeth. She wisely stepped aside, allowing Splinter to disarm and continuously strike Tiger Claw until he reached the edge of the roof. Tiger Claw glanced to the ground far below him. He knew that, with one paralyzed arm, there was no guarantee he would stick the landing if he fell.

Splinter kept Tiger Claw's sword between him and his enemy. "Now, we shall see if a cat always lands on its feet."

Suddenly, Tiger Claw shouted, "Now!"

Karai, perched on a rooftop across the street, blew as hard as she could into the dart gun to fire the poisonous dart. The projectile pieced Splinter's neck, and he quickly pulled it out. But not fast enough; he felt the effects of the poison almost immediately. He wobbled and swayed, dropping the sword and falling to his hands and knees. Haiiro bounded over to crouch by his side, looking him over worriedly.

Tiger Claw laughed. Though he nearly lost this battle, he came out victorious in the end. "You lose, rat."

"Sensei?" Haiiro asked, trying to hold him upright. She heard footsteps, and she and Splinter looked to see Karai approaching them with a triumphant smirk on her lips. Haiiro growled, her ears flat, and she lunged for Karai. But the konoichi landed a hard kick to Haiiro's stomach, then a fist to her face, and she threw the cat mutant aside. Haiiro landed at Raph's feet, unconscious.

Splinter stared at Karai, his vision growing cloudy. "Miwa….." He groaned and slumped to the ground.

Karai stared at Splinter. _He's called me that before…._

"Karai." Leo spoke in a pleading tone. "Karai, don't do this. Splinter….he's your father….your _true _father!"

Karai glared at Leo. "Liar! You'd say anything to save him!"

"No, I swear it!" Leo insisted as Karai approached him and his brothers. "He's your father, Hamato Yoshi! Ask Kuro! She'll tell you the truth!"

Karai's fury intensified. Bad enough that Leo tried to convince her of stupid things, but now he dared to bring her sister into this? "If you won't be silent—" Karai drew her sword, raising it above her head. "—I'll silence you."

Karai swung her sword down.

* * *

**A/N: "Sashiburi" means "Long time, no see" in Japanese!**


End file.
